Revelations, Repercussions and Robots Oh My!
by Shadow Master
Summary: This is a sequel I wrote to Majin Gojira's crossover 'The Green Man and the Blond'. It takes place soon after the death of Joyce Summers. Please email me and tell me what you think.
1. Just another night...or is it?

"Revelations, Repercussions and Robots Oh My!!" By Ryley Breen aka Shadow Master

Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all characters associated with it are the sole property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemies Inc. Dragonball Z and all characters associated with that show are the property of Funimation. I do not have any claim on these characters and am not making any money on them whatsoever. I am merely writing a fanfic about them for my own personal enjoyment as well as the potential enjoyment of those who choose to read this fanfic. Please do not have your lawyers give me a call to inform me of an impending lawsuit because I have very little money to spare at this point in time.

Note: This is the first time I will be writing a fanfic crossover that has nothing to do with my main field of writing which is Gargoyles fanfic. As such I am not fluent in the lingo and/or slang used by the characters in these respective shows. As such I would ask you to be tolerant of any mistakes or bad lines that I may write in for each character. 

**_Revelations, Repercussions and Robots Oh My!!_**

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**_Prologue_**

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**_Unknown Location, Three Weeks Prior, Midnight_**

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There exists some things in this world that have been around for a very long time, that have in some cases been around since the beginning. Some of these things are complex while others are not but in all such instances these objects undergo change, evolution if you will, adapting to the environment and the forces thrust upon them. Some of these things are forms of life like plants and animals but others are more artificial in nature, more unnatural. Created for one purpose, to complete one task and to do whatever it takes to succeed in their chosen purpose. In a stone chamber deep within the ground resides one of these enduring objects, it has existed since before the time of recorded history. Sitting around a circular table were ten robed figures, any identifying features hidden by robe and shadow, their purpose unknown to all but a select few. At the moment these figures are ingrossed in a debate of the utmost importance, discussing a subject that could have profound influences on the future of this world. 

"This situation is intolerable! It was bad enough when unit S-4542 disrupted the transferral process the first time but now it has done it a total of three times!" , yelled the robed individual with a medallion incribed with the Roman number, "To make matters worse the subject's second replacement is beginning to exhibit a similar disruptive tendencies as well! It is also showing signs that the spell was improperly placed upon her! We must do something about this!!" 

"Calm down Seven. I agree that matters have drifted slightly out of control but it is not yet at the point to warrant such distress." , stated the robed figure with the number two on his medallion, "Our latest report from our operative there shows that both subject's behaviors are back within the designated parameters. On a different note the demon population in that area has gone down dramatically in recent weeks."

"If you had bothered to read the report that was submitted a week earlier you would have discovered the reason for the decrease as well as seen that it is **not** a good thing!" , retorted Number Seven with undeterred anger, "Subject S-4542 was managable when it only had access to a minor portion of it's abilities but now thanks to the instruction from a powerful demon lord it is straining the powers of the spell greatly! If we do not act now we may not be able to contain it when the transformation begins!"

"Calm down Seven! The time of the transformation is still a year away so we have plenty of time to prepare ourselves to deal with S-4542 and it's replacement." , Number four stated with force, "Besides with 'The End of All' only five years away any damage the two subjects can do to the demon population can only help our cause."

"It is just that sort of foolhardy decision that could be the end of us all Four! It has been almost two millenia since this council has dealt with a wild subject and even then it managed to destroy one of the most valuable assets we had at the time!" , countered Number Seven, "It took us centuries to recover or reconstruct even a small portion of what was lost and now you are willing to risk a reoccurance of just such a catastrophe again?! Inexcusible!!"

"I am afraid that I must concur with Seven's concerns. If the subject was still as it was when it arrived at its current location I might be willing to wait but it has not." , stated Number 9, "We must do something now or risk losing control of the subjects and possible intimate interaction with others of their kind unchecked by the spell."

"You make some valid points Seven and while I do not share your pessimism I propose we put it to a vote." , stated Number One, "All in favor of recalling subjects S-4542 and S-4543 from their locations in the field raise their hands."

Both Seven and one watched anxiously as each member of the circle of ten made their decisions concerning the topic at hand. Sadly as five minutes slowly passed by only two more hands were raised along with Seven's own hand making it three for and seven against the proposed action. This caused great anger in Seven as was visible from the trembling fist that lay on the table in front of him. He had been a known opponent of the continued use of the subjects ever since their true nature had been revealed to him upon his ascension to a place of power in this circle. However time and time again he had been thwarted in his attempts to deal with what he saw as a threat to the very planet as a whole. This mostly due to the fact that he had not enough proof to support his beliefs when he was able to bring them to the council's attention. At this meeting though he had thought that the time had come for him to finally succeed, with a briefcase full of evidence to support his motion. He had believed that once he had presented it to the council they would have no choice but to agree with his plans to deal with the two units. He had not expected them to be so foolish, to in some cases take complete leave of their senses by opposing him once more and state their willingness to risk the world's destruction as well. This vote only compounded his anger at the foolhardy old men who refused to see that they were playing with a ticking time bomb that could blow this entire world to pieces. However since he was only the seventh member of the council there were six other members of the group with the power to overrule him in such matters. He had visited each member in turn with the hope that he could make them see things from his point of view but apparently he had failed. 

"The motion is denied by a vote of seven to three." , Number One declared, "This meeting is adjourned until the next appointed time. The whole we serve, the whole we protect!"

"The whole we serve, the whole we protect!!" declared the other members of the circle as they stood and departed from the table. 

As the members left it was clear that the three who had voted for the proposal were none too happy about the turn of events. They stayed behind for a moment to voice their displeasure but upon noticing that Number one and Number two were watching them they dispersed and left the room by different exits.

**_An Apartment, London, Eighteen Days Prior, Evening _**

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"Knock, knock, knock!" came the sound of rapping on the door to the apartment.

Grasping the handle of the cane tightly in his hand he rose to his feet and walked over towards the sound with a slight limp in each step. He had been afflicted with this disability for the past year and he still resented it and the thing that had given it to him. It was a constant reminder of the threat that existed in the unknowing world outside, a threat that he was determined to eradicate at any cost. Upon reaching the door he looked into the peephole and saw the two people whom he had expected to see but still reached behind him for the battle axe that he kept near the door at all times. Some may see that as being a bit paranoid but in his line of work everything was in doubt and nothing was for certain. Therefore it was a prudent course of action to be prepared for anything at any time of the day, that is if one wished to stay alive for a long time. Unlocking the door he merely nodded to his two visitors before glancing up and down the hallway for any eavesdroppers or spies. Once he was satisfied he close the door, re-did the locks and cast a potent protection spell over the entire apartment.

Turning to the men in front of him he asked "I assume you took the necessary precautions before coming here?"

"Of course." Said the first man.

"Definitely." Said the second man.

"Good because from here on in chaps there will be no turning back and no stopping until we have accomplished our mission." , stated the man with the cane, "Have you secured the six units from our storage facility in Edinburogh?"

"They are waiting for us at the airport and I have a cargo plane fueled and fully equipped ready for us." Replied the first man with a small measure of pride.

"Good, good. We shall have to leave quickly. It will not be long before they realize what we have **procured** from the warehouses and come after us." , the cane wielding man declared, "We must not waver in our chosen path my friends! The others may be willing to neglect their responsibilities to this world but we will not! As soon as we have successfully eluded our pursuers we will proceed with our ultimate plan, the complete and total destruction of the Slayer line!! Starting with Buffy Summers!!"

**Chapter One: Just another night of Slayage… or is it?**

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**_The Present, Sunnydale, Saint Francis Xavier Cemetery, Midnight_**

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He ran through the night as fast as he could but even then he knew that it was no use, the fear alone was the only thing that propelled his feet onward. He could hardly believe that this was happening to him, they were supposed to be harmless and generally easy prey but that had quickly been proven to be **WAY** false. He had just been out for a night on the town with his buds when they had spotted a duo fresh meat walking down the street, all dolled up and no doubt heading for the Bronze. It had seemed as though the night would be off to a good start but he had soon found out just how bad things were going to get. Thinking back to the beginning he tried to find some clue that might have tipped them off that these were not your average young women, that there was something different about them. Unfortunately the only thing that might have tipped them off was the fact that these ladies seemed to know that they had been approaching them but had simply not cared. This by itself was nothing special, after one was blond so how bright could they be, but what happened afterward could only be described as crazy!

Now he was running for his life, pumping his legs faster and faster in the hopes that he could somehow lose them among all these crypts and gravestones.

How could they **DO** that?! , he thought as he went around a fresh grave that had been dug earlier that day, It isn't humanly possible!!

Suddenly he was slammed into from behind with tremendous force that send him face first into the grass covered ground before skidding along the ground into a gravestone. For a few moments he was in la-la land and couldn't move a muscle but as feeling returned to his limbs he managed to move his arms and roll himself into a sitting position. He looked around with panicky glances trying to find what had hit him and see if what was chasing him was around as well. He found nothing but that didn't mean anything to him, as fast as those monsters moved they could be running circles around him and he wouldn't even know it until it was too late. Not wanting to wait around for them to make up their minds, where ever they were, he scrambled to his feet and resumed his desparate run as he looked for some sort of sanctuary. This was definitly shaping up to be one of the worst nights of his entire life and to think that guy in the next town said this place was heaven for their sort of people. Women, beer and more food than most guys knew what to do with all at one time. Oh there was the usual obstacle or two to deal with but in a town like this there were usually a few places where one could hide to avoid the heat. Now it appeared that the only way he was going to stay in one piece was to get out of Sunnydale as soon as he possibly could.

Without warning he suddenly felt like he had been hit in the stomach by a lead pipe by the mother of all demons and had been frozen in place. However when he looked down to see what had hit him he saw not a metal pipe but a slender feminine arm covered by a pink woolen sleeve. Looking in the direction that the arm had come from his expression turned to terror as he recognized one of the monsters that had attacked him and his friends minutes ago. As the shock of the blow wore off he staggered backward before eventually falling to the ground, clutching his gut in pain as the creature advanced towards him. Looking around for something to defend himself with he spotted a tree branch that had most likely been broken off by the storm last night. Grabbing it he immediately swung it at her from his position on the ground but all that it did was shatter as it made contact with her right shoulder. Looking at the shattered tree limb in his hand with utter disbelief he threw it at his attacker in a desperate move to defend himself but it was caught just before it would have made contact with her face. Shaking her head she wagged a finger at him as if she were admonishing a child that had just done a no-no and gotten caught.

"You know you really shouldn't be playing with sharp objects like this" , the she-devil said as she admonished him, "'cause it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt."

With that she flung the broken tree branch at him and before he knew it the wooden object was embedded in his chest. He knew what was going to happen to him now and that he didn't have much time but he wanted to get out at least one memorable line out to show that he wasn't a complete loser. Thus before the end came he made his decision and said the most profound thing he could think of at the moment.

"This town sucks!!"

With that the slain vampire crumbled to dust, the skin going first followed by the skeleton breaking apart much like a crumbling sandcastle. In the end all that was left of him was a pile of dust sweepings that would be blow away with the next gust of cold air that seemed to frequent cemeteries like this one. As the young woman who had killed the vampire looked down she too had a thought concerning how this whole thing had ended.

"Another day, another dusting." , Buffy said with boredom clearly in her voice, "There has got to be something in this town with better slaying potential than vampires!"

**_The Magic Shop, Sunnydale, 2 a.m_**

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"You sure she's not looking at my cards?" Xander asked as he eyed the little blonde girl sitting across the table from him.

"I'm sure Xander now ante up!" Willow said with surprising force in her voice.

Still that was to be understandable with the fact that they had each lost seven straight games to their opponent over the past four hours. They had been hanging out in the magic shop for weeks now with little to do and it was beginning to get on their nerves a little bit. Ever since Buffy, Faith and Dawn had received training from their friends over in Japan slaying had been of little challenge to either of the Slayers which meant that help of any sort was generally not needed. After all who needed to ask the Watcher how to kill certain demons when blasting them into tiny smoking bits of bone and ash would do just as well. Add that to the fact that none of the Slayerettes could keep up with either Slayer when they went on the hunt and that meant that all they could do was hang-out and wait for super-gal to come in and regale them with her latest bit of slayage. Before that happened the two founding members of the Scooby gang were determined to salvage their soiled honor and clobber Dawn at at least one game of Poker.

"Fine." , Xander replied as he tossed another bag of Smarties onto the pile of junk food in the middle of the table, "I see your bag of Smarties and raise you a Snickers."

"Too sweet for my blood." , Willow said as she placed her cards face down on the table, "I fold."

"Hahahaha! One down and one to go!" crowed Xander as he looked at Dawn with a terrible Poker face, "You're going down Dawn!"

To this the petite blond merely smiled before glancing down at her hand for a moment. Unlike Xander she was better at hiding her estimation of her hand and so far that ability had been the source of her winning streak. In the cases of both Xander and Willow they unconsciously let little hints drop in the form of mannerisms and fake coughs to let each other know how good their hand was. They mostly did this because they figured that together they stood a better chance of beating their pint sized Poker foe then by themselves. That and the fact that Willow's wicca abilities allowed them to pass needed cards back and forth without the use of their hands have them something of an advantage. The result of this hand however would determine whether or not their efforts had paid off since it looked like Dawn was about to end the game right now. 

Tossing in the necessary amount of candy to stay in the game Dawn said "Alright Xander, I'm calling you out! What ya got?"

This is it Xand-Man! This is where you either prove you manhood or lose to a fourteen year old for the fifth time tonight! Xander thought as he gave one last look at his cards.

Dropping his cards on the tabled Xander declared "Full house! Ha! Beat that if you can!"

A smile was broadly plastered across Xander's face and this only got bigger as Dawn took more and more time delaying the showing of her cards. It looked like the duo of mere mortals had finally managed to win one over key-girl and all that was left was for Dawn to drop her cards on the table in defeat and do that thing she did whenever she was angry about losing. The youngest Summers continued the quiet moment by examining her cards again and again while taking the occasional look at her opponent every now and then. Then however something happened that caused the dread of defeat to crawl back into the minds of the Witch and the Zeppo and caused them to lock their eyes on their nemisis' cards. A small grin was creeping up from the corners of Dawn's mouth and there was a weird glint in her eyes that teenagers at that age only used when they had managed to pull something big from behind the backs of their superiors. Slowly, no doubt intending to use the suspense to her advantage, Dawn began to lower the cards down to the table. Watching with eyes as big as saucers Willow and Xander focused entirely on the hand being shown to them, straining to see what cards were to be had there and it was only once they had touched the table that they knew the truth.

"Royal Flush! Sorry Xander but you lose again!" Dawn exclaimed with joy as she reached out with her arms and raked the candy from the pot to her already sizable pile.

All Xander Harris could do was lay his forehead on the table and slowly thump it against the hard wood again and again. Willow on the other hand was apparently muttering a few choice curses she had learned during the course of her wicca work but sadly they would do little more than make her feel a bit better. Watching as their opponent dumped her winnings into a plastic bag they both sweared that somehow they would find a way to one-up the junior high school student. For them it was only a matter of time. After all even super-girls who were trained by two of the most powerful beings on the planet had to mess up sooner or later right? 

Just then the door to the magic shop opened up and a slightly messy and torn up duo of Slayers walked in carrying various weapons of destruction and death. Of the two Buffy was probably the most messed up as her shirt top was staying up only due to the fact that one sleeve was still mostly intact. Her pants were a mess of tears and unidentifiable stains and her hair looked like it had been soaked in a vat of hair gel for a few hours. Faith on the other hand was a bit better off since aside from a few tears in her clothing she was pretty much the same as she had been when she and B went off on patrol. The one tell tale sign that she had been in a fight though was the slight black eye she had on the right side of her face that looked like it would take a little longer than usual to heal. Noting their two friend's current state all three at the Poker table dropped what they were doing and Giles, who was behind the cashier's counter doing the book keeping, finished writing a sentence before joining the others in approaching the Slayers.

"Hey Buff! What was the big bad tonight?" , Xander asked as he approached, "Just the usual vamps or did you run into a deranged hair stylist on the way here?"

"Ran into a large demony-thing out behind the university." , Buffy replied as she reached behind the counter to grab a towl, "Looked like one of those rubber monsters you see on that kid show except covered in slime and capable of sprouting miniture versions of itself."

For a moment Xander and the others tried to picture what it must have looked like but it was fair to say that judging by their reactions they all had different ideas of what this monster looked like.

Dismissing the trivial action with a shake of her head Buffy immediately began to walk towards the back room, drops of the slime falling from her hair onto the floor. Needless to say no one stood in her way given that it looked gross and the slime gave off a slightly pungent odor that made Giles begin to make a move for his handkerchief. Once Slayer number one was out of the room the Watcher turned back to Faith who was digging around in the little fridge behind the counter. For the most part it was just used to refrigerate items that needed to remain cold or else they would spoil and be potentially harmful to someone using them in a spell. For Faith though it was a place where she could find some ice or something equally cold to apply to her black eye which in this case turned out to be frozen polar bear eyes. Giles was about to tell her to find something else but then he recalled exactly who he was talking to and decided that it might be better to just let that one go for the moment.

"Um, Faith, do you think you could draw a rough diagram of the demon you and Buffy confronted?" , he requested as he handed her a pencil and note pad, "We have to make sure that it cannot somehow reconstitute itself or affect the area in some other manner."

"Sure." Faith said as she grabbed the pencil and pad out of his hands.

For the next several minutes the black-haired slayer's hands were a blur of motion as she began to draw a picture of the hell-beast. It was one of the things that the trio of super-beings had been doing more and more of since they had completed their training under Goku and Piccolo. Any time they were given a task, no matter how simple, that they determined was either boring or that would take too long at normal speeds they would use their gifts and get it done in a fraction of the time. Unfortunately since this seemed to apply to most things not associated with hanging-out or schoolwork they constantly tested his nerves by risking exposure of their identities to the general public. He had made a few modest attempts to get them to tone it down a little bit but given that they were each able to destroy a mountain with a single blast he was reluctant to press them further. Still if one good thing had come out of the reaching of their respective potentials it was that they had grown closer to each other, especially after Joyce died. It had been a tragic mourning period after Buffy's mother died and it often resulted in one or more vampire nests being turned into a pile of ash due to one of them venting. Eventually Faith moved into the Summers home and from there it was as if they had been sisters their entire lives, they did everything together and leaned on each other for support. The pain was still there in their eyes but it was clear that their friendship was slowly soothing the ache within them and the sparkle of life was returning to their eyes.

As his thoughts concluded Faith finished her drawing of the monster and passed the note pad back to him for inspection. When he had turned it around to take a better look at it he was surprise at the detail and skill that was evident in the drawing of the animal. If he hadn't known better he would have assumed that she had taken this out from one of his demonology books when he wasn't looking. Filing away that little bit of information for another time he looked carefully at the depicted demon and tried to make at least a cursory identification of it. It was shown to be at least the height of the goal posts on the football field and almost one hundred yards long. It looked somewhat frog like although he would have placed it closer to being a toad of some kind and it had six tubes like protrusions on its back. They almost looked like the tops of those cartoon smokestacks you would see at a nuclear reactor in that they were circular and seemed to fold outwards. It was apparently a quadraped with long talon like claws extending from each toe and a mouth full of sharp teeth that reminded him of a sword rack. He almost grinned when he noticed that Faith had decided to include a depiction of Buffy getting hit in the head with what appeared to be a slime projectile. However this depiction did little more than give him an itch in the back of his mind, like he knew he had seen it somewhere before. Turning around it appeared that Willow was already one step ahead of him as she had taken out several old volumes and was ready to begin searching them for a match.

It didn't take too long as there were very few demon beasts which grew to that size and fewer that took on such an amphibian appearance. Apparently the demon beast's name was "T'Karon" and it was a subterranian dwelling monster that rose every one hundred years from hibernation to feed before returning to it's slumber. Quite strong and capable of producing multiple versions of itself for defensive purposes it was considered to be quite dangerous. As for the rest of the arsenal it was pretty standard in that it possessed sharp claws and teeth but apparently the most unique of its abilities was the slime that it had hit Buffy with earlier. It was apparently quite harmless by itself but when mixed with.....

"Oh dear." Giles murmered as finished reading the page.

Not even bothering to tell the others what he had found out he whirled around and darted for the door that led to the rear of the shop. He had to get to Buffy before she did what he knew she was about to do if he didn't get there in time. Once past the door he made a B-line for the bathroom but didn't get very far and would later come to think he should have just yelled his warning.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" screamed Buffy from within the bathroom and at the same time a massive shockwave of energy knocked the door clear of its hinges, knocked Giles back to the other side of the room and left several definite cracks in the concrete walls.


	2. The Big Showdown...or not.

"Revelations, Repercussions and Robots Oh My!" By Ryley Breen AKA Shadow Master

email: rybreen@theberries.ns.ca

Note: Just a reminder to readers that while I watch both shows with dedication I am not very skilled in their various ways of speaking. So if anyone wants to point out a way to improve upon what I have certain characters say please email me. 

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"Oooooohhhhh!! I wish that hellbeast was alive so I could blast him into ash!" Buffy said in a sincerely miffed voice.

"C'mon Buffy, it's not that bad." , Willow said as she deftly cut the Slayer's hair in the right spots, "Besides at least you still have some hair left."

That did little to improve B's mood as she slumped in her chair waiting for Willow to finish cutting her hair into something resembling a decent hairstyle. It had all happened so fast and just for once she wished that she could simply walk up and blast things like Gohan could rather than having to do things up close and personal. After all would Gohan have wound up covered in icky hellbeast slime and accidently burn off half his hair when the slime turned to acid in water. No! He was a Saiya-jin and their hair was impervious to everything except mystical blades wielded by demon kings and energy blasts! She sighed and occasionally glanced at Giles and the others to gauge their reactions to her newly forming 'do since they were in a much better position to see the entire thing. However they weren't much help as they all were trying to keep their looks neutral in the hopes of avoiding another outburst like the one that had cracked the walls around the bathroom. She hadn't even consciously powered up or extended her energy field when she had reacted to her hair, she had just screamed in shock and it happened. Needless to say Giles was no doubt trying to figure out a way to explain this to his insurance company so he could get the money he needed to repair the damage. Xander , whom she had hoped would be his usual self and display everything he was thinking right on his proverbial forehead, had obviously gotten into a few scuffles with Anya because he had greatly improved his poker face. With no other choice but to wait for the results and if it turned out as bad as she thought it was going to be the first demon that laughed at her would soon be sitting at a bus stop in the next dimension.

"There! All done!" Willow chirped as she put down the scissors and walked around Buffy so she could see her work from the front.

From Willow's expression the Slayer thought that it couldn't be too bad because the wicca in training had the confidence to look her in the eye without flinching. Reaching over and picking up the mirror that had been resting on the table next to her she decided to face reality and see how long she would have to wear a paper bag over her head. Closing her eyes she intuitively brought the mirror up to a point where it would be at the same level as her head and took a deep breath in to brace herself for what was too come. Opening her eyes she could only stare at the job her red-headed best friend had done and how she was going to to repay said friend. Most of the bottom of her formerly long mane of blonde hair had been burned off by the acid slime from the T'Karon but she had gotten away from the water soon enough that the hair past her shoulders survived. However due to the liquid qualities of the acid it had unevenly burned away the hair to the point where some of it ended at her shoulders and some of it stopped at ear level. Needless to say she had been somewhat dubious when Willow had said that she could cut her hair so that the damage wouldn't stick out as much but she had gone along with it anyways. After all how much worse could it possibly get! She now realised that she had not given her witch friend her due credit as she examined the two waves of blonde hair tha flowed down either side of her head.

"Wow Willow! If business as a Wicca every dries up you could always get a job as a hairstylist!" Xander declared jokingly in approval of his life-long bud's hair job.

Ignoring the joke but accepting the praise Willow stated "Thanks! I modelled it after 18's hairstyle since it I thought it would look good on Buffy!"

"That and the fact that you couldn't do anything else with the hack job the acid did on her hair." Anya said as she joined the group in examining the Slayer's hair for imperfections.

Everybody had pretty much forgotten to be snap at Anya for her usual blunt comment and instead continued to compliment Willow on the nice job she had done. Even Buffy had to admit that once she learned who Willow had modelled her hair after she agreed that it did look pretty good on her. The waves of hair stopped roughly three quarters of an inch before they would have touched her sholders and thanks to some selective snipping there was practically no sign that anything had happened to her at all. Still it felt wierd not feeling her long locks of hair trailing down her back, she had never cut it this short before in her entire life. Long hair had been the trend since childhood and with all the things that had come up since she had been told she was a Slayer her hairstyle was not exactly at the top of her to do list. Still there was final test to pass before she would accept this as her new hairstyle and that was how much work went into fixing it after some slayage. That was another reason why she had not been in a rush to cut her hair short or try a new hairstyle, long hair looked the same no matter how many times you get knocked around. However the night was winding down and most demons were probably crawling into their little crypts for a good days rest. 

As if in answer to that last statement the front window of 'The Magic Shop" shattered as a mass of leather and bleach crashed through it and landed on the floor. Right behind the mass though was what could loosley be termed as a trio of cobra-people who looked distinctly hungry and intent on tearing their prey limb from limb. That prey unfortunately was one Billy Idol vampire named Spike who despite the fact that he was bloody pain in the ass occasionally proved useful in a fight. If this had been a year or so ago she would have gladly let the snake things turn the British vampire into a pile of dust sweepings but the oppourtunity to test out her new 'do in battle was too good to pass up. Besides, for some unexplainable reason Dawn had taken a liking to Spike and would undoubtably defend him regardless of the fact that he used to be determined to kill her. Not even bothering to clue the others in she immediately charged towards the demons using only a fraction of her full power. After all there was no sense in overdoing it when all that was necessary was probably the level of strength and speed she had possessed before Piccolo's training. Besides if there was one thing that the green Namek had pounded into her again and again was efficiency, both in technique and the use of her energy.

She got to the one farthest to the right first and immediately threw a punch that was intended to knock the cobra-person outside onto the street. After all Giles would have trouble enough explaining the cracks in the back room, no need to give him more structual damage to invent fat excuses for. However it was right then that something unusual happened as just as her fist was about to make contact the cobra-person seemed to slide out of the way. It wasn't a slide in the sense that it move but rather like she had been charging at a projection and someone had move the projecter slightly more to the right. Not letting that get her down she used the momentum of her punch to add speed to a kick as she swung her left leg out hoping to catch the demon and knock him outside. She must have telegraphed her move though since the snake thing actually managed to catch her leg and toss *her* outside onto the street. She hit the concrete with a bounce and was on her feet so fast most folks would have thought that she had never been knocked down to begin with. Slightly impressed with the speed that these opponents were apparently capable of she decided it was time to take things up a notch she planted her feet on the ground and began to power up. It wouldn't be a lot, just enough to give these things an idea of what they were facing and what would be coming their way in a few moments. Unfortunately it looked like at the moment she was being ignored by the snake-things because they were still looking into the 'Magic Shop' rather than turning around to face her. This made her slightly angry, the thought that after all the training that she had done and how much stronger she had become some minions of evil were still treating her like she was nothing. 

Well I think its about time for them to get a serious reality check! Buffy thought to herself as she flew foreward towards her targets with some serious pain giving in mind.

Not even slowing down for the grab she wrapped her arms around one of the snake things before it even realised what was going on and then pulled it outside where she could deal with it in a more permanent fashion. Once she was certain that she was clear of the magic shop she immediately began to gain some altitude at an impressive rate. It was about ten seconds into the flight before her passenger began to make efforts to free itself but fortunately she was just about through flying anyways. It was easier now to keep up with it speedwise now that she had powered up a little so it's attempts to whack her on the side of the head with it's tail didn't work at all. Once she had reached her desired height she decided to let the monster in on a little fact that had apparently not sunken into it's reptillian brain.

"Hey, Cobra-guy! Look down." she said and waited for it to do so with a grin.

Just as she had predicted a few moments later the snake was no longer struggling and was actually quite still, a non-verbal way of saying that he forfeited this round. Unfortunately for him she wasn't willing to go so easy on him and immediately began to descend towards the street in front of the 'Magic Shop' at a speed faster than most sports cars. Just as one might think that she would be plowing into the ground with the snake-thing she let go of her opponant and pulled up. The result was a spectacular explosion of dirt and cement as the creature impacted with the ground at a relatively high velocity with no means of stopping it. Smiling with satisfaction Buffy landed on the side of the small crater and waited for the dust to clear so she could inspect her opponent's condition. Normally she would just reach out and sense his power level and use that to tell whether or not he/she had more fight left in him but she had discovered early on that some demons didn't give off a power signature. That made them a pain to fight since she couldn't keep track of them with anything other than her normal five senses but usually when she actually started to exchange blows with her goodness-challenged enemies it was a brief fight.

Her smile widened as she saw that at the bottom of the crater was her snake thing and it look thoroughly dead since she could see various bodily fluids seeping from it onto the ground. Turning towards the busted front window of the 'Magic Shop' she decided to see how the others were managing with the other two snake-things. Not surprisingly Faith and Dawn had the other two cobra-people on the ropes and were on the verge of finishing them off for good. Giles and the rest of the Scooby gang however were off to the side and the former librarian looked like he was in permanent stress mode as he winced with every item in the store that was destroyed. Anya didn't seem to be much better off as she had a calculator in her hands as was madly tapping away as if she were trying to tally everything together to see how much it was going to cost in the end. Xander, Willow and Tara on the other hand were just hanging back watching the fight as if it were some wierd cartoon show, all that they were missing was some snacks. It would have been a short show then as with one final bone-crunching blow both Faith and Dawn vanquished their repsective opponants and dropped their corpses to the ground. Surprisingly the moment they did the snake-things disintegrated into dust and were carried off into the night sky by some unnatural wind. She didn't need to look behind her to know that her sparring partner had done the same thing but she wasn't all that angry since it meant that she wouldn't have to clean them all up. However just when she thought that she had gotten rid of one problem she remembered what had brought about this little confrontation and had a feeling that another obstacle was about to get dropped into their collective laps. Walking over to the hair bleached 'Big Bad' vampire she grabbed him by the right arm and yanked him up to his feet.

"'Ey! Watch it Slayer!" Spike exclaimed as he barely managed to wrench his arm from her and began to rub it slightly with a grimace appearing on his face every now and then.

"What's going on Spike and what were those snake-things that just made Giles' insurance rates quadruple?!" Buffy asked with the tone of her voice indicating that some violence might be forthcoming if answers from him were not.

"Sodding attack dogs! I was looking around town, trying to get a line on Glory but when I finally managed to find her place these three things jumped me!" , Spike replied as he stopped rubbing his right arm and put on a 'tough-guy-big-bad' look, "Would've killed them myself but figured you'd want to know where the hell-bitch was hiding out."

Naturally nobody was paying attention to the latter part of his statement as they were all frozen in place by first part.

Spike knew where Glory's HQ was located.

For the past month straight they had not heard word one about the hellgod that had filled the 'Villain of the Year' slot vacated by Adam the previous year. It had been halfway into the second week before they started to actually get worried, after all a day without having to worry about Glorificus was like school being cancelled because of snow or something. However as the days passed they began to worry that the hell god was up to something big and that if they didn't do something quick to find out what they wouldn't live long enough to regret it. So for the past two and a half weeks they had been doing all they could to track their nemisis down but nothing came of it at all. There had not been any new cases of insane people being checked into the hospitol and most of Willow's location spells wound up just leading them to lesser demons. That was in fact what Faith and her had been up to tonight, Willow's latest location spell had picked something up around the Sunnydale U's football field so they had gone to check it out. Unfortunately T'Karon was all they found and the rest as they say was history which made the fact that Spike had done what they couldn't all the more surprising.

"Well don't everybody thank me at once now!" Spike said sarcastically implying that he had expected to recieve something in the way of a reward for all of his hard work.

"Spike where is Glory's place?" Buffy asked in her 'all-business' tone of voice.

"An apartment building on the edge of the park." , Spike replied as he decided to put off asking for his reward until later, "Upscale flat too. Not the usual cavern of doom you'd expect from bitch-queen."

Not even bothering to thank the vampire the gang immediately began to grab a few party favors that might come in handy. For Giles, Anya and Xander it was a number of swords and axes with a crossbow or two thrown in for good measure. For Willow and Tara it was the ingredients they would need for some of their more powerful spells plus the mandatory number of crosses and bottles of holy water. After all while they were fairly sure that Glory would have some pretty powerful help guarding her place there was always the chance that her minions would recruit a few of the local undead. Given that the non-human population of the Hellmouth was made up mostly of vampires it was a virtual given that there would be a few hanging around. For Buffy, Dawn and Faith however they were ready to go right then and there but were forced to wait around for the others to gather what they needed. This was a definite con to being the three most powerful beings of the group, they had to wait for all the less powerful people to get ready. Of the three of them Dawn was probably being the most impatient as she was already tapping her foot on the floor while giving annoyed looks at the lesser mortals. Tapping her foot on the floor though had the secondary effect of causing mild tremors in the ground which provided the rest of the Scooby gang with more incentive to hurry. Eventually the preparations were complete and with Buffy, Faith and Dawn carrying a portyion of those who could not fly they were off.

****************************************************************************

**_North end of the Sunnydale Park, Eden Apartments, 5:45 a.m._**

**__**

**__**

Well isn't this an oxymoron. , Giles thought to himself as he looked at the sign hanging above the main entrance to the apartment building, A Hell god living in a place named after the Almighty's personal garden.

If one looked at the place from the outside and did not know what they were supposed to be looking for they might just dismiss the place out of hand and go about their business. For those engaged in their particular profession the Scooby gang knew from the moment they laid eyes on the place that Spike had been right on the money about it being Glory's HQ. The place seemed to exude the chaotic atmosphere that was the essence of the blonde demon, even for those that were not attuned to the mystical forces of the world the sensation was still recognisable. Then there was of course the odd vampire that would look out the window to see if there were any potential threats in the area. However there would be no chance of them being spotted seeing as how they were floating several feet in the air above the apartment. While not terribly averse to this method of travel he was hoping that he and the rest of the flying impaired individuals would be allowed to set foot on the ground before the seige began. Willow and Tara were alright in the arms of Buffy but that was more than likely because they had practiced levitation spells and the extra elevation was not a problem for them. Xander and Anya on the other hand were a bit more eager to get down on the ground judging by the death grips they had on Faith's arms and the fact he could swear he heard them mutter a few chose prayers a few moments ago. Spike of course was just itching to get down so he could 'get a spot of violence' even if it meant hanging with them in order to get it. Fortunately his only concern at the moment was whether or not Dawn was going to drop him on his arse in her impatience to get inside the building and kick some demon butt. Fortunately a few moments after concluding such thoughts the three flyers descended towards the group at a fast but controlled speed eventually touching down behind some bushes. While he was mildly thankful to feel the ol' terra fima there were others who were currently expressing their relief in more bizarre ways.

"Okay here's the plan." , Buffy said as the group knelt down into a huddle, "If Glory is in there Faith and I will deal with her head on and try and stop whatever it is that's kept her from filling her quota of crazy people. Willow and Tara, your job will be to undo any magic stuff that has already been done and make sure that Glory won't be able to do it again. Dawn, Giles, Xander, Spike and Anya are in charge of keeping her grunts occupied long enough for the rest of us to do our jobs."

"Hey! How come I get saddled with them?" , Dawn asked with offense clearly in her voice, "I've got issues to settle with Glory too you know!"

"Yeah Slayer! This is the 'Big Bad' you're talking to ya know!" Spike said as he seconded the dislike of being left with the grunt work.

"I know Dawn but you're also the Key and we need to make sure that Glory doesn't somehow figure that out in the middle of the fight." , Buffy replied as she tried to reason with her psuedo-sister, "Besides Giles and the others are going to need a powerhouse on their team if they're going to get through this fight in one piece and I can think of no one else who could do the job better than my little sister. As for you Spike in case you forgot Glory kicked your butt when you saw her last so unless your eager for another session of whup ass you fight with Giles."

Spike went noticeably silent at the mention of his recent beating at the hands of hell-bitch and seemed to aquiese to her placement of him in this battle plan.

"Fine but next time some hell god comes to town he/she's all mine!" Dawn said in a voice that made it clear this was an issue she had already settled in her mind.

Smiling in agreement Buffy then looked towards the others who gave nods indicating that they were good to go and ready for some action. With that settled there was only one thing that was needed to get this party started and she was all too willing to do the honors. Gathering up a ball of golden energy in her hands she waited until it was the size of a grapefruit and then threw it in the direction of the entrance to the apartment complex. An explosion of flame and debris erupted into the air that could be comparable to several fusion grenades tore an impressive hole where the entrance used to be as well as the corpses of two demons. Not waiting for some cliched call to arms battle cry the two slayers charged the front entrance so as to take the brunt of whatever booby-traps and safeguards the demented demon goddess had in store for them. The others made up the seond wave with Dawn taking point followed by Tara and Willow with Giles and the others taking up the rear. It was a flurry of confusion inside the place when they actually entered the building as it was clear from the sounds coming above them that Buffy and Faith had already searched the ground floor and had moved their efforts up one floor. In their haste however it seemed as though they had neglect to do the courtesy of dealing with the demon population on this floor to any significant degree. Fortunately that suited Dawn just fine as she dove into the swarm of demons with an almost playful zeal as if she had just been invited to take part in a game of pick-up basketball with the top nine players of the WNBA. Spike though was right behind her taking almost as much pleasure in the confrontation as "little bit" was but with a bit more respect for his opponant's chances of killing him. This worked to the benefit of Giles and the others in that within a few moments of the Dawn's entering into battle she had managed to stake herself out as the prime threat by sending several demons through a brick wall. This left the rest of the Scooby gang to deal with the lesser threats such as the vampires and the demons that were too cowardly to take on Dawn themselves. Rupert wasn't worried that something might happen to Dawn, even with the problem of enemies piling on her she could handle herself and if things got any worse she had Spike to back her up.

"Willow! You and Tara get upstairs and put an end to whatever Glory is concocting!" , Giles yelled as he dodged a punch from a biker vampire and retaliated with on of his own, "The rest of us will deal with these hellspawn down here!"

The one-time mousey redhead and her girlfriend didn't need to be told twice as they headed upstairs and towards the sounds of battle since they were sure that was where Buffy and Faith were no doubt fighting Glory. There were numerous demon bodies on the floor and it was clear that some of them had ticked off the Slayers in some way because their legs were on one end of the hallway whereas their upper bodies were somewhere else. This mildly grossed out the two witches but they coped with this by trying to deduce what dark magic they would have to undo once they arrived at the site of the main event. Unfortunately it could be any one of a number of thngs which didn't do a whole lot to help them so eventually they both decided to do a potent dispersal spell to fragment whatever ritual was taking place. In most cases, according to what they had read, that was the safest way to 'disarm' ritual centered magicks when the details were not forthcoming beforehand. Oh there had been a few cases where dispersing the magicks in a ritual resulted in a bad ass explosion that levelled an entire city but both wicca were fairly certain that Glory couldn't have had enough time to put together a spell that would do that if dispersed. Still the thought added one more thing that they tried not to focus on as they made their way to the room where all the noise was coming from.

When they arrived they were surprised to see that Buffy and Faith were not facing Glory but rather som sort of demon that looked like a cross between an alligator and and a spider. It was around ten feet tall and had a reach of about the same from one arm to the other which made it exceedingly difficult for the Slayers to dodge completely in these cramped quarters. Not that they really had to but if they powered up any more than they apparently were they might bring the entire building down on top of everyone. Trying to find a safe corner to do their magic in they eventually spotted a place that seemed to be devoid of debris so they chose that place and hoped that they wouldn't attract much attention to themselves. Once settled in they began to set up the various tools and they would need to do their spell, a crucible here and the ingrediants arranged properly there in alphabetical order. It wasn't easy to do their work with all the noise and the constant fear of either Buffy or Faith being thrown in their direction but they perservered and continued on with their work until it was done.

"Ready?" Willow asked as she looked at her girlfriend for a response.

"Ready." Tara answered as she lit the crucible and placed the first necessary ingrediant into it.

"Arcane forces in this place do dwell." Willow chanted as she added the next ingrediant.

"Corrupting the currents, they ebb and swell." Tara said in a monotone voice as she focused her magic on the spell.

"Yet now we strive, the battle is won!" Willow chanted in a way that was almost a yell.

"Disperse foul magic, begone and be undone!" Tara said as they finished chanting the spell with Willow and burned the final ingredient.

Almost at once the magic of the spell went into effect as the white colored flames coming from the crucible and began to streak around the room like many angry fireflys. Actually in Willow's opinion they looked more like angry Tinkerbell's like in that move 'Hook' with the way that a trail of dust trailed behind them and eventually fell to the floor. In any case the spell's circle around the room seemed to be retracting more and more, the circle becoming smaller with each revolution, leading to some sort of climx. However it also seemed to be zeroing in on the demon that Faith and Buffy were fighting which was strange since both wicca had thought that it would just come to the center of the room and then go poof signalling that it's job was done. As time went on the spell did not change its course and unfortunately all they could do was watch since they had no control over the spell once it was completed. Closer and closer, faster and faster, the comet like spell streaked around the room until it was only a few feet from the demon's scaley body. By this time both Slayers had noticed the spell and were hovering well out of it's range, giving brief glances bad to the two of them as if looking for confirmation that this was what was supposed to happen. All the wicca could do was watch and hope that when the spell had done it's work and disappeared they were a little better off than they were before.

One way or another they would get their answer as it seemed that in only a few moments the spell would make contact with the demon's torso. The demon seemed to realise this and was trying to swat the spell away like it had been trying to do with the flying amazons earlier bit the magick was just too fast for him. Then after missing one last swipe the spell hit the demon right in the chest and the room exploded in a flare of light that one normally would only get from the world's largest lightbulb. It caused all who had previously been looking at the demon to look away or block their eyes so as to prevent themselves from becoming blinded. About a minute later the light began to fade but it took a few more minutes for everyone's eyes to readjust themselves after such a spectacular light show. Right about then the rest of the Scooby gang showed up to at the door to the room and got first crack at seeing the results of Willow and Tara's spell.

What stood in the alligator-spider demon's place now was something different than what everyone had been expecting. Instead of vacant space there were now two demons to contend with instead of one, a reptillian demon that looked like giant sewer-gator and a demon that looked like a scorpian person with half his body arachnid like and the other half human looking.

Everyone then turned to Willow and Tara for an explanation and the two wicca had only one thing to say.

"Ooops!" they said in unison.

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	3. A sign of things to come?

"Revelations, Repercussions and Robots Oh My!!" 

By Ryley Breen AKA Shadow Master

Email: rybreen@theberries.ns.ca

"'Oops'!? 'Oops' is when you accidentally break someone's window! 'Oops' is when your best friend eats a piece of chocolate cake you had been saving in the fridge!" , Xander said almost hysterically as he stared at Willow in disbelief, "This is a lot closer to a 'Man did I screw up!' than anything else Wills!"

While Buffy had to admit that Xander had a point about the understatement Willow and Tara had made in summing up their latest snafu he didn't have to rub it in like that. Turning back to the two demons who moments ago had been one she wondered what the heck had happened to make things turn out like this. Everything had pretty much gone as planned, she and Faith had charged through the front door and headed towards the master bedroom that Spike had said was Glory's on the way to the apartment building. They had come across the standard groupie demons and vampires along the way but they had been no more trouble than that fear demon that had been summoned accidentally at that frat Halloween party during the whole Initiative thing. Once they had finally gotten to the room she had figured that it was high time to put an end to the whole thing with Glory. She was tired of worrying about her sister's safety everyday of every week, not knowing whether or not the hell god Glorificus had finally figured out who was the Key. To illustrate this fact she had sent a small energy blast ahead of her and Faith and knock the door to the room right off it's hinges along with some of the wall. However when she entered the room she had found not the blond bimbo she had been expecting but something that might have crawled out of a Wes Craven flick. From there on in everything was pretty much punch and dodge, kick and dodge as well as trying to figure out where her true nemesis was hiding.

Now however thoughts of the hell goddess were pushed to the back of her mind as she tried to decide what should be done about the two uglies right in front of her. She didn't think that they were too dangerous, after all it only made sense that they would be stronger as one demon than two demons right? Well there was only on way to find out and without another word to her friends she charged the one that looked like a large scorpion person. She got one good punch right in it's jaw but surprisingly that only caused it to back up a few steps but then again that was probably more due to the size of the room than her attack. It didn't take it long after clearing it's head up to retaliate as it immediately began to try and impale her with it's tail. This of course wasn't much more vigorous than playing 'dodge the explosive energy ball' with Faith and Dawn during their training sessions but it did force her to pay attention. The Scorpion-guy then suddenly stopped using his tail and decided to change to his pincers and fists to try and take her out. This was a bit more challenging for her since it now required her to dodge four things at once rather than just one which made her wonder where this thing got it's brain. After all if she had been stuck with that kinda body, heaven forbid, she would have started with this tactic right away rather than use that phallic tail again and again. Deciding that this thing wasn't really a threat to be worried about Buffy decided to have a little fun with it before she slew it. The first part of that however was letting it grab her which meant she would have to slow down quite a bit since this thing was just too-- slow! It didn't take long and once it was convinced it had a firm grip on it's apparently helpless victim it gave her a leer that clearly said 'I've got you now!'.

"'Oh no! Whatever will I do?!'" , she said in her best damsel in distress voice impression right before returning his leer right back at him, "Y'know you really should have considered other job options before hiring on as a watch dog. I mean there's got to be some kinda tomb or pyramid somewhere that needs a half scorpion-half-man demon guarding it or something."

With that snappy patter said she began to wail away at it's head like a punching bag and with every blow the demon's grip on her got weaker and weaker. Eventually it was no longer able to hold her up and once again she had her feet firmly planted on the ground which seemed as good a time as any to add a few kicks to her onslaught. Before long the Scorpion-guy was wobbling on his legs like a boxer who was punch drunk and she figured that it wouldn't be much longer before he would be down for the count. Then they could search this place and hopefully find out where Glory had gone to and if it a good thing or bad thing that she had left Sunnydale. Just then she sensed something coming at her from the right and turned in that direction just in time to see a green leathery tail hit her right on the side of the head which sent her flying to the other side of the room. She hit the wall and surprisingly stayed there as it seemed that her clothes had caught on the wiring and broken boards which she had broken when she had impacted on the wall. Dazed for a second she waited until she got her bearings before pulling herself off the wall and onto the ground however she would soon wish that she had been a little quicker to recover. Not ten seconds after she had been hit Dawn flew from her position at the door and took Buffy's spot fighting the Scorpion-guy. However it was clear from her sloppy technique and playful attitude that she was not taking the fight as seriously as she should. Buffy knew this and she suspected that everyone else knew this as well but with most of them outmatched or in Faith's case preoccupied with the sewer-gator she was the only one who could intervene. Shaking her head to get the last of the cobwebs out she prepared herself to re-enter the struggle and back her little sister up in case she got tagged with a lucky shot from Scorpion-guy. 

It was then that it happened.

Without warning the Scorpion-guy changed tactics from using his fists to using his tail but Dawn had not caught onto this and didn't see it coming until it was too late. Fear bursting into her mind the smaller blond tried in a panic to get out of the way, increasing her power level by leaps to try and get clear but it was too little too late. Had she just started to move out of the way three seconds earlier she would have been able to dodge the tail entirely but as it was the point of the tail got her in the arm and impaled it with the tail's stinger. Dawn screamed in pain as the pain from the wound ripped through her body though it was possible that the pain had come from the poison as well. This flew through Buffy's mind like a banshee on the warpath and for the next few moments all she could do was watch as her little sister, the only family she had left, writhed in pain. Her mother had only left her a few months ago and she had still not completely recovered from it and the thought that she might lose her little sister this night made all the pain come rushing back. If Dawn died it would not matter how much comfort her friends tried to give her or how many consoling speeches they used, she would forever feel alone. It was the one thing that she feared more than anything else, to be completely and utterly alone.

"NNNNOOOOO!!!" Buffy screamed in a rage and at that moment the shit really hit the fan.

In that exact moment an explosion ripped through the room that knocked every lesser mortal clear off their feet but at the same time made sure that their attention was fixed on one point. That point was the embodiment of fury as at the place where Buffy once stood was now a roaring storm of chi-energy that seemed to be getting stronger and stronger. Already the wall behind her and the floor beneath B had been blasted away and causing her to hover in the air within her self-generated energy field. This however did not even enter into her mind, all she could see was her sister twitch with pain, all she could feel was her fury and power rising like a Volcano on the verge of erupting. If anything she looked like an angry goddess ready to rain down her wrath upon the one who had inspired such fury in her and with her bright white energy field crackling around her with barely focused energies no one could blame a person for thinking that she was a goddess. Even the demons halted their attack to look at the new spectacle before them but they were given only a moments glance as a second later she seemed to disappear into thin air. A second later Dawn disappeared from her place at the tip of the Scorpion-guy's tail and reappeared in front of Willow and Dawn who had barely enough time to comprehend this before the action resumed. Without warning the scorpion demon flew though the air as though he had been hit by a train and the amount of force actually used became apparent as it smashed through the wall. 

Next the sewer-gator that Faith had been fighting was propelled by some unseen force through a side wall and was not stopped by any of the walls which got in it's path. Within moments of Buffy's outburst both demons were out of the building and flying through the air with the possibility of falling back to earth growing more unlikely with every moment. Rushing to the windows the Spike, Giles, Xander, Anya and Faith looked at the two monsters flying through the air and wondered if the blows that had hit them with such force had killed them. A scream of rage snapped their attention upward and there glowing like a miniature sun was Buffy, still in the midst of her berserker's rage and powered up higher than any had thought possible for her. None of the Scooby gang could take their eyes off her as she seemed to track the two demon's flight across the midnight sky, her eyes almost glowing with power. It was then that the enraged Slayer raised her arms and flattened her palms outwards, aiming them at the objects of her fury with a vengeful precision. It was then that true fear entered the hearts of the Scooby-gang for this was a side of Buffy that they had only seen a few times before but only for the briefest of moments. It was the Buffy that had smashed the Master's bones into dust, the Buffy that been willing to kill Faith in order to save Angel and it was the Buffy that had been compelled to avenge Riley's death at the hands of the Saiya-jin Prince Vegita. Now however this volatile part of their friend was in full view and most of them were afraid of what the Slayer would do in her present state.

Finally satisfied with her aim Buffy yelled "MA-SEN-KO-HHAAA!!"

With only a flicker of light as a prelude two massive blasts of energy flew from Buffy's palms and shot with deadly precision towards their chosen targets. For those that were witnessing this scene from afar they thought that they were seeing something straight from the X-Files and for those that were skeptical what happened next made them believers. Within seconds of being fired the two energy blasts caught up to their targets and exploded with unheard of force. Windows in the immediate vicinity were shattered, trees were ripped from the ground and the light from the explosions caused all to look away until it had dimmed. When they did there was no sign of the demon's that had been targets of the Slayer's rage, just a bit of ash twisting in the wind. For a few moments all the Scooby gang could do was stare at their friend, stare at the figure surrounded by an aura of power in the form of a white field of flaming energy. Then without warning the energy field that had been keeping Buffy aloft dissipated and the blonde warrior dropped like a stone towards the ground below. Giles immediately turned to Faith to tell her to catch Buffy before she landed but as it turned out he didn't have to because just as he thought his eyes had settled on the ebon-haired Slayer she vanished in a blur. A few moments later she reappeared beneath the young Summers girl and caught her comrade neatly in her arms with little trouble. A few moments later both Slayers were inside and it looked as if Buffy had managed to recuperate somewhat although it was obvious that she was still a bit out of it in terms of balance and strength. She could mostly stand on her own two feet but it was clear that she was completely exhausted from her efforts and would need to rest quite a bit before she would be fully recovered.

With that crisis over with the group was free to turn their attention back to the youngest member of the team who was still in quite a bit of pain despite Willow and Tara's efforts. The two wicca had been the only ones who had not gone to the window to view Buffy's exploits as their attention had been solely focused on Dawn at the time. The wound the young warrior had suffered was significant and compounded by the fact that there was poison in the wound that was slowly coursing through the girl's veins. At the moment Willow was attempting to use her magicks to deal with the poison while Tara dealt with the wound itself. Surprisingly there wasn't much blood due to the small wound but that didn't mean that there wasn't quite a bit of damage to deal with. Still it could have been a lot worse and luckily both witches had foreseen the possibility of injuries during this confrontation and had brought the appropriate ingredients for healing spells. The two worked in concert with each other, each young woman's magicks helping to support the other's magick and this helped speed up the healing process significantly. Bit by bit, slowly but surely, the poison was drawn back towards the wound it had entered from until it exited the body and evaporated into thin air. Once that was done Tara began the final incantations that would seal the wound up so nicely that it wouldn't even leave a scar behind when spell was finished. Up until this point she had just been keeping the bleeding down as well as keeping away any bacteria or other such contaminants from entering the wound. It was only now, with the poison having been extracted from Dawn's body, that she could safely repair the damage done to the shoulder and seal up the wound.

"Dawn are you okay?" Willow asked as she helped the young girl up to her feet.

"Yeah, except for the numbing sensation and the image of my arm being used as a pin cushion." , Dawn moaned as she got to her feet and looked around the room, "What happened?"

"Oh nothing much, just Buff going postal and vaping the demons in a blind rage!" Xander said satirically which earned him an elbow in the side from Giles.

At the mention of her sister Dawn looked around the room and once her eyes had locked onto Buffy she zipped across the room in a blur and hugged her. The blond Slayer was naturally overwhelmed by the affection being sent her way by her sister but didn't protest given what had happened in the past few months. Of the two of them Dawn had taken their mother's death the hardest and had actually gone to the extreme of trying to cast a spell to resurrect the dead. Needless to say when that didn't work she vented her grief on the demon population of Sunnydale under the watchful eye of her big sister. That had quite nicely put a big dent in population of the underworld and given them a brief respite from all the hard work since it gave demon's an incentive to stay away. It by no means that the Slayer's job was done since there was always some sort of doomsday prophecy in the works and fresh demons who thought they'd make a name for themselves by killing the Slayers of Sunnydale. So there was almost always a convenient punching bag around if either of the two Summers sisters wanted to blast or beat something into a fine powder. Unfortunately there was only one demon, or demon goddess as the case may be, that they wanted to fight in particular and she wasn't here no had been for at least three weeks from the grime. Which brings events back to the present with the gang no closer to finding an answer than they had been before Spike had been thrown through a window.

"Ah...Dawn....need air...!" Buffy squeaked out as her face was beginning to change color from pale pink to pale blue.

Almost in embarrassment Dawn released her sister and allowed her taller sibling to knock back some O-2 to get some color back in her cheeks. Confident that they would be alright by themselves for a few moments Giles began to look around the room for a clue as to their quarry's whereabouts. He gave a brief moan of frustration as he looked at the mess made of the room in the minutes since the offensive had begun and estimated that it would take him at least an hour to sift through everything. Not even needing to say it he heard the others begin to sift through the rubble with him although some were pulling more of their weight then others in the endeavor. The lighter work left was done by Giles, Xander and Anya while those who had the benefit of magic or enhanced strength lifted the heavier items. This went on for a few minutes until Giles chanced upon a TV sized safe hidden in the floor with it's camouflage shattered by the fight. Seeing this as as good a place as any to hide the secrets of one's whereabouts he immediately cleared away the rubble around it so as to get a better look at the type of safe he was dealing with. With his apparent attention to one particular spot it wasn't long before the others were all crowded around the safe while Giles continued to try and figure out a way to open it. He had some experience with this sort of thing from his Ripper days but safe's had changed a bit since then and who knew what that hell-bitch had done to it to improve on it's innate protections.

Placing his ears up against the door to the safe next to the combination dial and began to experimentally turn it one way and then the next. The key, if he remembered the practice correctly, was to listen for the distinct click of a tumbler falling into place before turning the dial in the opposite direction. Normally for such sensitive work one would need some sort of listening device since the clicks a safe-cracker would be listening for were too soft for the average person to hear. However after years among the Watcher's Council and listening to dread demons recite forgotten languages he had grown to possess a significantly acute sense of hearing what others could not. With a bit of luck he might just be able to pull the proverbial rabbit out of his hat and open the safe within the first try or at the very worst the third. So focused on his efforts he didn't need to tell Xander to be quiet as he was no doubt spouting all sort of inane things that had no relevance on the task at hand. For awhile the next few moments time seemed to crawl by as Rupert tried to listen for the right click and hoping that he was doing it right. After what seemed like an hour he heard what he hoped was the final click as he raised himself up from the safe and reached for the handle that would open the safe now that the combination had been deciphered. Unfortunately after he turned the handle he found that the safe would still not open but instead merely laid there and taunted him with it's modern advances. 

"Look, why don't I just rip the door of it's hinges!" , Faith said with impatience as she reached for the handle, "After all who cares of psycho girl comes home to find her safe busted!"

Giles tried to stop her but given the increase in her physical abilities under Piccolo she was simply too fast for him and before he had even crossed half the distance with his arm the door was already off it's hinges. The former Watcher covered his face in an attempt to shield himself from whatever was to result from the ebon-haired amazon's reckless actions but surprisingly nothing happened. Momentarily confused Giles slowly creeped forward and peered inside the safe for some clue as to why they hadn't been blown to kingdom come as well as some clues as to the hell-god's whereabouts. Inside he found a few scrolls and dusty old books which seemed to rival his own collection in terms of age but surprisingly there wasn't some sort of arcane explosive or small-but-deadly demon inside. Taking this turn of good fortune in stride he began to take out and examine the contents of the safe, noting the bizarre inclusion of a few travel brochures along with the ancient texts. For a few moments it looked as though Faith's callous action was not going to cause him to be grievously injured but that all changed when he removed one volume from the safe and heard a distinct clicking noise. Hurrying to move the rest of the safe's contents out of the way he found that his fears were justified as he came upon a digital clock that was slowly counting down from thirty seconds to zero.

"Um, I don't suppose there's anyway that this could be a good thing eh guys?" Xander said with eyes rapidly approaching the 'run-away-run-away!' look.

Not even bothering to find a witty reply to Xander's remark everyone instantly went into a flurry of action as they all went about their familiar roles. Giles immediately began to grab everything he could carry out of the safe just in case they had to make a hasty exit while Willow and Tara tried to use their magic to locate the explosives and disarm them. Unfortunately with only thirty seconds on the clock it was unlikely they would be able to manage it in time which gave the others a reason to put as much distance between them and this building as possible. As the seconds ticked by both the wicca's and Giles tried to move quicker to accomplish their designated tasks before the fireworks started. As the digital clock hit ten seconds however it was clear that nothing was going to stop the explosives from doing their job so without further adieu both the wiccas and the Watcher ran from the building as fast as their feet could carry them. As they ran they could almost feel in the back of their minds the seconds clicking by and became increasingly worried that they would not get clear in time. They were about five feet from the front door when it happened and the blast that erupted from the building was truly one for the history books as it sent columns of flame in every imaginable direction. The shockwave of the blast knocked the three fleeing Scoobies into the air but at a significantly slower rate than the flames that were approaching from behind them.

Oh bloody hell! Giles thought as his proverbial life flew past his eyes.

Just as it looked as though the flames would engulf the trio Buffy, Faith and Dawn appeared and grabbed each one of them before flying away at a speed substantially faster than the flames of the explosion. Buffy however was carrying Giles and due to her current level of exhaustion was taking up the rear of the flying group and was struggling a bit to keep up with the rest of them. Fortunately the rapidly approaching fire was providing good incentive for her and gave her the extra adrenaline boost necessary to supplement her dwindling energy reserves. Still the heat from the flames were beginning to make her feet a little too hot and she could swear that the rubber soles of her shoes were melting. Eventually though the fires of the explosions lost their race to capture the flying pair and disappeared as they strayed too far from their fuel source. This came as a spot of relief for the Watcher and his Slayer as it became clear that Buffy was running on fumes and needed to settle down somewhere quickly. Both of them soon saw where the others who had fled the building earlier had gathered and slowly drifted down from the sky to meet them. Once on the ground however Buffy promptly dropped to her hands and knees as she had utterly exhausted herself in keeping herself and Giles from becoming crispy critters. Giles attempted to reach down and help her to her feet but she shot her right arm up to stop him which caused him to stop in his tracks. Slowly but surely Buffy began to rise from her position on all fours, he legs shaking a bit with the strain, eventually managing to get to her feet but it was clear that she needed a moment more to collect herself.

I suppose it's to be expected since an elevation in power is almost always followed by an elevated sense of pride. Giles thought to himself as he began to examine what he had managed to salvage from Glory's place.

It wasn't as much as he would have liked however since some of what he had originally acquired had been knocked loose by the shockwave of the explosion. What he had managed to keep in his hands were three travel brochures, two scrolls and one volume which apparently centered around Asian myths. He found it odd to see such an odd collection of literature in the safe of a psychotic hell god but then the 'insanity' she possessed could be used to explain just about anything. He was about to look over the first brochure but it was then that his ears picked up the sounds of approaching sirens and fire trucks and decided that vacating the vicinity of a criminal act was of a higher priority at the moment. Stuffing them in the pockets of his jacket he returned his gaze to Buffy to see if she would be up to walking briskly and found that she appeared much more recovered than she had been a few moments ago. Apparently she had just received her 'second wind' since she was apparently impatiently waiting for him to give the word to vamoose. With this in mind he debated the wisdom of having everyone gather at his place after so strenuous an encounter since most of them were probably as tired as Buffy had been just a few moments ago. It was quite early in the morning and while most of them didn't really have anything pressing to do in a few hours it was probably best for them to go home and get some rest. Whatever Glory had planned it was bound to be big and they had to be completely awake and alert to deal with it when everything came to a head.

"Well there is little more we can do tonight and with the local police and fire department arriving it's probably best that we all return home." , Giles said as he looked over the weary Scooby-gang, "We'll reconvene at my apartment around noon to look over what I managed to recover."

"On the bright side even if we can't figure out what Glory is up to at least one thing went right tonight." , Xander said as he looked at the burning apartment complex, "Can't you just picture Glory's face when she comes home to find her place burned to the ground?"

The thought of the temper tantrum the hell-bitch was likely to throw when she saw what remained of her place had the desired effect as grins appeared on just about everyone's faces and even one or two giggles from Willow.

*************************************************************

**_Summers residence, The Bathroom, 7:00a.m_**

Ohhhh, man do I feel totally whipped! Buffy thought to herself as she got out of the shower.

When she had arrived home with Dawn and Faith she had immediately decided to have a shower to soothe her weak and exhausted muscles before going to be to catch a few Zs. Feeling like this reminded of her training sessions with Piccolo in the room of spirits and time on Kami's look-out but even he knew enough not to push her too far for health reasons. The events of the past few hours were like heavy weights in her mind and she hoped that a few hours of sleep would help to clear her mind up a bit. The one thing that she hoped would be cleared up the most was what happened between the moment Dawn had gotten stuck with the Scorpion-guy's stinger and when Faith had caught her outside the apartment building. She only had a vague recollection of what had happened and even that was more a group of feelings and impressions rather than actual memories. She remembered the gut wrenching fear as she saw her little sister in pain, the fury felt towards the forces that threatened to take the last of her family away from her and the need to vent the feelings by striking out at whatever was convenient. From there everything became a storm of those two emotions coupled with that single desire, it dominated her mind and left conscious thought on the sidelines as it worked it's will. When she was finally back in control she was weak as a kitten and falling to the ground outside the apartment building with absolutely no way to stop herself. Faith had caught her and brought her back into the room where she had originally remembered being but from there things had moved too quickly for her to consider what had just happened. 

Oh well! The baddies were gone and Dawn's alright so it couldn't have been too bad. Buffy thought to herself as she looked in the mirror and began to comb her new 'do a bit.

It was during this small bit of pruning that she saw something that stopped her train of thought right then and there. It was a lock of oil black hair that was mixed in with her blond hairs that she could have sworn hadn't been there when she had looked at her haircut back at the magic shop. For a few moments she played with it and tried to determine if it was just some leftovers from Willow's amateur hair-stylist attempt or something from the battle itself. It wasn't some sort of goo that had come off one of the monsters she had fought, nor was it some charring left over from the fires of the explosion that came afterwards. After all she knew what burnt hair looked like and she knew that she hadn't gotten anywheres near close enough to the flames to do something like this. Besides the dark hair was beneath a fair bit of her natural blond hair so it couldn't have been the fire and besides it still had it's 'smoothe-as-silk' hair feel to it. If it had been burned it would have felt rougher and probably broken off at the slightest pull so it was definitely not the result of contact with Glory's security system. She examined it for a few more minutes before concluding that it was just something that Willow had missed when she had clipped off the acid-monster-goo affected hair off. It wasn't impossible since cutting hair was hardly Will's strong suit and aside from that the red-haired wicca had done a pretty good job. It would be interesting to see how she and 18 looked in the mirror the next time Goku and the gang came to visit.

Then again the next time that they come to visit it will probably be for help in beating another of their old enemies! Buffy thought with a wry smile as she remembered Garlic Senior's little night of horrors.

Putting the comb down on next to the sink she walked across the hallway to her bedroom and closed the door behind her with slightly more force than she had intended. Once she had gotten into her pajamas she slid into bed and pulled the covers tightly around her and tried to think up some more pleasant thoughts to lull her to sleep. Some of those thoughts revolved around Angel and all the good times they had together when they weren't tap dancing on each other's hearts. Other thoughts drifted towards the time she had spent with Gohan when he had showed up to be shown the ropes in protecting Sunnydale while she underwent Piccolo's training. Of course the problem with that was the fact that the teenage half-Saiya-jin was already married and from their last letter already had a daughter to show for it. Surprisingly enough her thoughts then drifted to Vegita as she imagined herself kicking the shit out of him and knocking aside his energy blasts as if they were nothing. It was true that this was probably more fantasy than reality but she had been training hard since vegitable-head had gone home and she hoped to have a rematch with him sometime in the future. After all while she was not even close to being as powerful as Vegita she was willing to challenge him if only to see the look of surprise on his face when she showed him how much stronger she had become. Maybe she would even strike a match up with Piccolo to see how she matched up with her former teacher and perhaps even spar with Goku as well. Since the increase of her powers there had been precious little in Sunnydale that could match her in terms of strength which meant that most patrols were uneventful and boring. About the only demon that had been worth fighting was Glory and with the hell god pulling a fade for the past month it was difficult finding a worthy opponent.

When I get my hands on that hell-bitch I'm going to blow her into so many bits they're going to need tweezers to pick up the pieces! , Buffy thought to herself as she shifted into a more comfortable position, No one threatens my little sister and gets away with it! NO ONE!!

With this mission in mind the Slayer fell off into a fitful sleep, her dreams filled with images of Glorificus threatening Dawn and then herself powering up to the max before blowing the hell god away. Amidst all this there was no one to notice as the strands of black hair that had appeared began to spread a bit until the numbers of hairs that had changed in color doubled in number.

*************************************************************


	4. Travel Arrangements

"Revelations, Repercussions and Robots Oh My!" By Ryley Breen AKA Shadow Master

email : rybreen@theberries.ns.ca

**_The Magic Shop, Sunnydale, 12:30 p.m_**

Buffy walked into the Magic Shop more alert than she had been five and a half hours ago but she was still tired and thanked whatever diety that was playing with her life that research was probably the only thing that she would have to do in the next while. She had seen the pile of things that Giles had managed to grab from Glory's safe before the whole place blew and hoped it would be enough to track the hell bitch down. Looking around from her position near the door she smiled at her ex-Watcher's consistancy as she saw that he had already started trying to decipher the clues Glory had left behind and had apparently been doing so for awhile. He already had three separate piles of books sitting on the table near the back of the room and appeared on the verge of getting more. Not wanting to interrupt his train of thought she walked up quietly towards the table and picked one book up at random to see if he had found out anything signficant so far in the time that he had been working. The book she was looking at had been written in a foriegn tongue so she couldn't make heads or tails of the words but fortunately, as was the case with most old books, they had pictures that were usually enough to help her figure the rest out. The one that she was currently looking at showed a figure in some sort of robe with his arms raised to the skies while some lightning seemed to strike something on the ground in front of him. Unfortunately the drawing did not show what was being struck and did not give any other clues as to where this had taken place since the background was fairly commonplace. It had the usual trees, caves and other things you would expect to find in a book this old and dusty which meant that it was probably one of Giles' favorites. Dropping it back on the table she winced as it landed a bit too loudly and startled Giles out of his train of thought almost causing him to drop his own book right then and there.

"B-Buffy! I didn't hear you come in." Giles stated as he tried to settle his recently startled nerves.

"Sorry, just one of the fringe benefits to training under Piccolo." , Buffy said as she picked up another book that had been left open, "It was *impossible* to sneak up on that guy! I tried forever and only managed to get within three feet of him before he turned aroun and knocked me across the room."

"Well, as I'm sure he has told you those ears of his are not just for show." , Giles replied as he looked back to the book he had been reading, "Besides you got closer than I ever could and that was at a time before he had absorbed Kami and Nail into himself."

Buffy was just about to ask him if he had managed to turn anything up on Glory's whereabouts but she was pre-empted by the sound of the front door of the magic shop opening up. Turning around the Slayer smiled as she watched the rest of the Scooby gang file in, Xander and Anya carrying what appeared to be boxes of donuts from the local bakery while Willow and Tara carried the coffee. Willow had already told her before she had left that they would be a few minutes late in getting to the Magic shop and now she saw why. It was pretty nice of her considering that all of them were still feeling the drain from the fight early this morning and a little suger and caffiene would be just the thing to perk them up. Once the coffee and the boxes of donuts were put down on the table the contents of both were quickly divided amongst those present and soon they were all relatively awake and comfortable as they waited to hear what Giles had managed to find out.

"So G-Man, what's up?" , Xander asked as he dumped the contents of a suger packet into his coffee, "Find anything interesting or are we back to pulverising Willie the Snitch?"

Buffy smiled at the expression of amusement on her friend's face, ever since he found a guy even more pathetic than himself to beat on he had been significantly more secure about his masculinity. That and the fact that interrogating Willie was something that wouldn't end up with him being a mess of bruises an hour later. Still for all the moments when he ducked for cover or tried to help out when he was clearly way over his head Xander was still one of the best friends she had here in Sunnydale. Still it was clear despite the sarcasm that he was as eager as the rest of them to find out what Giles had managed to find out from his research. Turning to the watcher she saw that he had only peripherally heard the Zeppo as most of his attention was focused solely on the volume that he held in his hands. Just then a sharp look of concern appeared on his face and faster than she had ever seen him move in his life he rushed over to a bookshelf and began to look for something. His movements clearly showed the urgency of what he had found out and this caused everyone to wait eagerly to find out what was so important to put the former Watcher into such a tizzy. It took awhile but eventually he seemed to find the book that he was looking for but when he flipped through it and landed on a certain page his face turned a distinctly pale shade. Slowly, almost distracted by what he he had discovered, he returned to the table where they were all sitting and placed the book down on the table. For the next few moments he said nothing and this only added to the tension in the room as the rest of the Scooby Gang waited for him to explain the reason for his current state. When nothing happened after five minutes Willow reached over and picked up the book that Giles had been looking at and tried to find what had disturbed him so, hoping probably that she would be able to tell the rest of them what Rupert Giles could not. Unfortunately as soon as she found what Giles had been looking at her face took on a pale look to it but slightly less which allowed her to look up from the book with an explanation at her lips.

"Um, we're doomed." was all that came out of the Wicca's lips before she looked up to Giles for some sign that they still had a chance.

"Will you two quit acting all foreboding and tell us already!" Anya exclaimed with irritation and a bit of fear in her voice.

Picking up the book that had apparently sounded the death knell for them Willow began to flip through the book until she came to a page with a picture. Once she was satisfied that the thing depicted was what she wanted she turned it around and placed it on the table for the rest of the gang to see for themselves. Illustrated on the page was a drawing of a gigantic chinese dragon that looked like it was five miles long since it almost blotted out the sky entirely. Below the dragon was a wizard and at the bearded man's feet were seven glowing spheres which appeared to be positioned directly below the dragon. Needless to say it did not take long for them to clue in and figure out what had caused Giles and Willow such distress because they too were beginning to feel like their days were numbered. After all Glory was difficult enough to deal with on her own but if she was after the dragonballs then matters had gone from bad, took a right turn a horrible and parked right in front of the house owned by Mr. Oh Shit! As it all hit them how much trouble they were all in the rest of the Scooby gang looked up at Giles and hoped that he had some wise and comforting solution to the problem. However all he did was walk over to the only free seat in the room, sit down and pinch the bridge of his nose as if he had the mother of all headaches.

This was *not* a comforting sign.

Taking charge Buffy stood up and said "Alright. So Glory's after the one thing that could make her all powerful and destroy the world. We can work with this."

"How?" asked Xander as he looked at her with a look that said he had full confidence in her but at the same time was resigned to a gorey and painful death.

For a moment it looked as though Buffy wouldn't be able to come up with an answer for them but then something apparently clicked in her mind and she seemed more hopeful of their continued survival.

"Well we know that once someone has used the dragonballs to make a wish they scatter all over the world." , Buffy said with her expression brightening as he train of thought continued, "So there's no way that she could possibly have found them all in under a month and besides she would need Bulma's dragonball radar to find them at all."

"Not necessarily, there are a few magical incantations that might allow her to locate them." , Giles stated but as soon as he saw the looks on their faces he immediately added, "Still we know that Goku's family keep at least one with them so chances are we would have heard from them if anything had happened."

"That's right a-and there's no way she could beat Goku, with him being a Super-Saiyan and all." Willow added to brighten the mood even further.

"Still it's a safe bet that she is hot on the trail of the remaining dragonballs and has had a month to look for them already." , Giles said as he stood up with a look of purpose in his eyes, "Willow I would like you to do a search on your computor, see if there has been any unusual outbreaks of insanity in Japan. If Glory is already there than she will have left tell-tale signs of her feedings behind as well as other evidence of her being in Japan."

"No problem." , Willow said as she got up from her seat, "Tara and I can also try to cast a spell to locate the rest of the dragonballs and see how many of them Glory has managed to gather already."

"Good. Buffy, try to get in contact with Goku and the others overseas." , Giles said as he was no doubt beginning to run through a list of books that might contain information about the dragonballs, "Even if Glory is not there yet it would be good to appraise them of the current situation and adivse them to keep an eye out for anything unusual."

"Gotcha." the Slayer said and without further adieu she went over to where the phone was located and began to dial the number Chi-Chi had given them during their first visit. Rupert inwardly groaned at the long distance charges this was no doubt going to cost him but assured himself that it was for a good cause.

"What do the rest of us do?" Xander asked as self-proclaimed spokesman for the left over Scoobies.

"Begin checking with the local airports for flights leaving for Japan in the next few days." , Giles said as he tried to think of something useful for them to do, "Also Dawn will have to be excused from school for a week or two since we'll most likely need everyone if Glory somehow manages to make her wish."

"Two weeks off school!? YES!", Dawn exclaimed in jubilation before seeing the ex-Watcher's look of disappointment, "I mean I'm sure I could learn a lot from this field trip, like how to speak Japanese and how to use chop-sticks."

This did little to dilute the look on the British man's face but at least it was enough to coax him into heading to the bookshelves to apply himself to his assigned task.

************************************************************************

**_Two Hours Later, The Magic Shop, Sunnydale_**

"Oh yeah! Well here's what you can do with your 'necessary authorization!" Buffy said as she slammed the reciever down onto the phone.

Unfortunately she had done it just a little to hard and wound up crushing the phone beneath her fist making her wince as she noted yet another thing Giles would have to replace. She had been trying for the past hour and a half to get through to Goku's house but had been blocked each time by some security person who insisted that she provide the proper authorization code. That was one of the problems when your friends lived in a scientists wonderland that happened to be sponsered by some of the most powerful companies in the world. Bulma had explained it after the who Garlic senior mess but she still found it a little hard to believe despite those capsule things the blue haird woman showed them all. Apparently a little over fifteen years ago a group of four Eurasian companies bought a large portion of land from the Japanese government and used it to construct something straight out of a sci-fi movie. It was supposed to be a testing ground for new technological inventions as well as seeing what affect the said inventions would have on people over an extended period of time. The Japanese government agreed on the condition that if any inventions that turned out to be a success the government would get a cut of the profits. From there on in things expanded exponentially with everything from flying cars to guns that would make a machine gun look like a B-B gun. Unfortunately that also meant that there was tight security involved, both on the part of the Japanese government and the four companies that founded the experimental city of the future. She had finally managed to get past the first level of security by saying she was some scientist who needed to talk to someone in the city but apparently they had traced her phone call and caught onto her charade. She had then been booted back out causing her to spend the last fifteen minutes trying to get through another way but all she had to show for it was a wish that she could blast someone on another continent.

"I take it that you had no luck getting through to Goku?" Willow asked as she looked up from her laptop.

After they had all been given their assignments the wicca had gone home to get the equipment and ingredients she would need to do her job. She had first tried to cast a spell with Tara to locate the seven dragonballs but that had turned out to be a complete bust. Apparently the energies being given off by the Hellmouth were interfering with the spell and caused it to fragment once the magick reached the ocean. With that no longer an option the redhead went on to hacking into the medical database of the hospitols inside the 'Future City' to look for any signs of Glory's feeding habits. It would take a bit longer to do than the spell since she had to be extra careful not to get caight by security but if anyone could do it Willow could. 

"No! Those jerks in security wouldn't even let me get a message through to them!" , Buffy said with frustration as she plopped down into a vacant chair, "Any luck checking the hospitols?"

"Well there are ten large hospitols in the future city and so far I've managed to go through seven of them already." , Willow explained as she continued trying to hack her way into the next hospitol's database, "So far there haven't been any unusual outbreaks of wackiness but that could just mean that Glory's spreading her feeding around so she won't attract attention."

That did little to brighten the Slayer's mood, it could mean that Glory knew about Goku and the others since it would explain her caution but then again she might not be anywhere near there at all. Still the hell-goddess was hardly the subtle type, sooner or later she would do something that would let them know where she was and then she could finally put an end to that bitch's ways once and for all. Just then Xander, Faith and the rest of the remaining Scoobies came it with looks that said they had managed to accomplish their mission fairly successfully. Their job however was the easier one of the three since all it required was to check the closest airport for flights that would get them where they needed to go and were affordable enough for them to take. Still that wouldn't do them a whole lot of good if they couldn't get ahold of their friends overseas and arrange for *authorization* to enter the 'Future City'.

"Okay we've got a flight heading out to Japan tonight at 9 and another heading there in two days at noon." Xander said as he slapped a few airline brochures and other pamphlets that had the flight times written on them.

"Well then the only thing we need to do now is somehow contact Goku and the others so that we can get to them without causing a international incident." Giles said from his position near the book shelves.

"Well we can forget about just calling them up." , Buffy said with a frown, "There is so much security on the phone lines that it would take a week just to convince the guards to take us seriously."

"Maybe Willow could hack into the computors and put our names on the VIP list." , Xander said as he sat next to Anya whose attention was elsewhere, "Then we could just dress up spiffy and walk through the front door."

"Uh uh, that wouldn't work." , Willow said as she shut down her computor, "Even if I could get by their computor security I somehow doubt that we'd be able to fool them into thinking that we belonged on that list."

"We could always try a spell to teleport us to Goku's place." , Tara suggested with a bit of optimism, "Then we could get in and out without anyone knowing."

"A fair idea but teleportation spells are tricky and it would take a large amount of energy to teleport us all across so great a distance." Giles said with disappointment as another promising idea was tossed in the discard pile.

"Well we could always just get to Japan and Dawn, Faith and me could fly the rest of you to Goku's place." , Buffy suggested in a pondering tone, "After all we've gotten pretty good at flying around Sunnydale without being seen and I've seen Piccolo fly so fast that I couldn't see him."

"Yes but he is much faster than you are and I doubt that he has gone unnoticed by the security forces of the area" , Giles stated as he began to clean his glasses, "More than likely the only reason why Goku an the others are allowed to fly where they will is because the company and government officials involved know it would be unwise to anger any of them."

"Well I could show them how 'unwise' it is to anger me!" Buffy muttered under her breath in frustration.

Giles stiffened for a second as he thought he heard a bit of the Buffy that had turned the two demon's to ash earlier this morning in his Slayer's voice but dismissed it as fatigue. He had been somewhat alarmed at what had happened, as had no doubt the rest of the gang had been, but he had all but forgotten about it when she had returned to her usual self. Now however there was a nagging feeling that there was something more to it than he had previously thought, something that pulling at the folds of his memory as if trying to uncover something important. He shook his head an refocused on the task at hand, after all if what was nagging him was important he would more than likely come eventually if he let his subconscious do the work for him.

For the next few moments they all threw out ideas that might get them inside the privately owned future city but each one was more or less shot down. Willow had come up with an idea to make them all invisible which would allow them to sneak past the security but Giles had pointed out that most invisibility spells only made one so to humanoid eyes while leaving one vulnerable to mechanical ones. Xander had come up with the idea of trying to go through the sewer system like he had seen in some movie but that idea was shot down almost as fast as it had gotten airborne. Any sort of sewer system that the future city would have undoubtably would have been given a security system of it's own which made it unlikely that they would be able to circumvent it. All the while Anya was spinning something around on a long chain paying little if any attention to what was going on at the moment. Unlike the other Scoobies the ex-vengence demon was completely self-absorbed and the only thing that she could be said to actually care about was Xander. Even with that bit of decency to show for herself it was anyone's guess as to how far her feelings actually went and if it could be anything even closely resembling love. It was while the object on the chain was on an upward swing that he somehow came loose and flew through the air before landing on the table and sliding into Willow's computor. Annoyed a bit at how their meeting had been interrupted the wicca picked up the cylindrical object and prepared to throw it back at Anya but just as she was about to wind up for the pitch she stopped. She looked at the object with a look that made the word 'shock' seem like an understatement and carefully examined the object to be sure that it was what she thought it was and not a hallucination.

It was a grey cylinder like object with what looked like a button of some type at the top and a green band around it's center with the number seven on it in white. The button was not like the one you might find on the controller to a videogame system or even on a remote but more like a door handle. It stuck out of what was apparently the top of the cylinder and looked like you were supposed to press down on it and then release it. In her mind though Willow knew what she held in her hand and now more than ever wished that she could whack Anya upside the back of her head.

"Where did you get this?!" Willow asked with urgency in her voice.

"Android 18 gave it to me before she and Krillin went back home." , Anya replied in confusion, "What's the big deal? It's just a wierd key chain."

"This is *NOT* a keychain!" Willow said as she pressed down once on the button and threw it into the most open space she could find.

It hit the floor and for a moment the wicca thought that she had been mistaken with her conclusion but then there was an explosion of smoke that rushed out in a three feet radius. They all had to wait a few minutes for the smoke to clear but when it did the space that had previously been completely unoccupied was now almost completely filled up. From the spot where the cylinder had been a few moments earlier now stood something that looked like an arcade machine but much more advanced. It was a bland light blue color, the kind of color that you would find in a hospitol, and had what looked like a phone reciever and a set of numbered buttons in a square configuration where the joystick and action buttons would normally be on an arcade game. Everyone stood there with blank looks on their faces, as if they were still trying to grasp what had just happened before them but when it had finally sunk in they all turned to look at Anya with looks of incredulous disbelief that said 'Why didn't you tell us you had a capsule that could do that!?'

Her only reply was an embarassed "What?"

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**_Brief's Home, Japan, 7:30a.m(Japan time)_**

"What kind of crap is this woman!?" yelled Vegita as he threw the plate holding his breakfast across the room until it shattered against the wall.

"Hey! Money doesn't grow on trees Vegita!" Bulma yelled in reply as she confronted the Saiyan Prince on his latest actions.

Here we go again! thought Trunks as he silently as he watched his parents gear up for another fight, the latest in a log line that went back about as far as he could remember.

He wasn't worried though, nothing serious ever came of it and the two of them more or less made up afterwards so he didn't bother getting upset. Instead he just at his breakfast and randomly listened in on how the verbal sparring match was going in case it was going to get violent. Generally when that happened it was his job to handle damage control and try and catch everything that his mom or dad threw before it shattered or got smashed. Like his mom said money didn't grow on trees and while they were among the wealthy upper class he knew his father could render them bankrupt in a month if someone didn't step in and do something. Fortunately though this fight looked like it was just going to be one of those skirmishes that ended with one or both of them storming out of the room to vent their frustrations in a more satisfying way. For his dad that meant a five hour workout in the enhanced gravity room and for his mother it was a trip to the laboratory to work on some project or other that had up until then been neglected. In any case it was just business as usual in the Brief home and wasn't likely to change anytime soon.

"Beepbeepbeep"

Trunks turned around in surprise as he heard the sound of the long range communications console beeping and wondered who could be called them from so far away. He knew that his mom or grandpa usually used it to talk with the other companies that they worked with but he didn't remember hearing his mother saying anything about a conference call happening today. Looking over at his mom he waited to see if she had heard the beeping sound but after a few moments it became clear that she hadn't heard anything over the decible level of Vegita's voice. Shaking his head at the way that these two fought he got up from the table and went over to answer whoever was calling at this hour. If it was important he could probably get his mother's attention and give his dad something else to be mad at. Once at the console he typed in his personal access code and picked up the reciever that would automatically initiate the connection. The face that appeared on the viewscreen was not one he had expected to see at all but at the same time he consiberably brightened things up.

"Willow!" , Trunks exclaimed as he smiled at the redhead's face on the viewscreen, "What's up?"

"Uh..Nothing much. Could you get your mom on the phone for me?" Willow asked in a way that made it clear to the little half-Saiya-jin that she was hiding something.

"Okay, I'll see if she's free." Trunks replied as he lay the reciever down in a stable spot before heading over to where his mom was still yelling at his dad.

He wasn't sure if they would hear him with all their yelling but in all likelihood his mom would be so shocked at hearing that there was a phone call from someone they hadn't heard from in a while that she would immediately drop her shouting match with dad. Then it would be up to him to get his dad away before he blasted the communications console for interfering in his contest of dominance with his wife. It was one of the many downsides to having such a volatile father but the upside was that if he got in a fight then his dead actually praised him rather than scold him like his mother would. 

Seeing an opening in their yelling he decided to make his move.

"Hey mom! Willow's on the phone for ya." Trunks said as he gave a gentle tug on his mother's shirt in case his voice alone was unable to reach her.

"What?! Willow?!" Bulma exclaimed in shock as well as inquiry before she left her position nose to nose with Vegita and headed towards the communications console.

"Come back her woman! I'm not through with you yet!" Vegita yelled as he started after his wife so that they could settle the matter of breakfast for good.

Grabbing his arm Trunks kept his father from pursuing his mom and just like he planned focused all of his father's attention on him.

"C'mon Dad! You said that after breakfast you'd spar with me in the enhanced gravity room!" Trunks declared with actual interest in his voice.

Sparring in the enhanced gravity room was one of the few things that he and his father did together and so it was one each of them enjoyed. For Vegita it was an oppourtunity to instruct his son on the proper way for a Saiya-jin to act and it also provided him with a way to vent his frustrations in a way that wouldn't blow up the planet. For Trunks it was a chance to learn some cool moves and spend some quality time with his father who otherwise he would only see at meals or when there was some crisis facing the planet. In this case however it was purely diversionary but that didn't mean that Trunks couldn't enjoy it just the same.

For a moment it looked as though the Saiya-jin Prince was going to toss his son through a wall but with one final frown in his wife's direction he nodded to his son and they left the kitchen.

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"Hey Willow! Howya doing?" , Bulma said joyfully as she smiled at the face on the screen, "God! It's been months since that whole Garlic thing got done. So what's up?"

"Uh...I was kinda callin' to ask if you'd heard of anything wierd happening in your area." Will replied as if she didn't know quite how to ask the questions she wanted to ask.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." , Bulma replied with a frown, "Why?"

For a moment Willow looked away from the screen but then replied "We think that maybe one of the baddies from Sunnydale may have decided on a change of scenery and relocated to Japan. Specifically your area."

"What's it look like?" Bulma said nonchalantly as she grabbed a notepad from a drawer next to the phone and looked ready to scribble down some facts.

This seemed a bit surprising to Willow, no doubt the wicca was expecting her to freak out and begin asking questions a a fairly rapid pace. However after all she had been through with Goku and the gang some ugly and smelly demon from California, USA was nothing. After all it couldn't be any worse than Cell or Maijin Buu and she had managed to survive that more or less intact. 

Eventually Willow recovered from her shock and replied "Well she looks like a knockout blond woman but she's a total psycho that feeds off of people's nueral energy. You can usually tell where she's been by the sudden increase in the crazy person population."

"Okay got it. Crazy blond woman, sucks out neural energy." , Bulma said as she jotted down the information, "Any idea why she moved here?"

"Well we think that she's after the dragonballs." Willow replied.

"Oh, really?" , Bulma said with about as much concern as she would give what channel to watch on TV.

With every reply that Bulma gave she could tell that Willow was somewhat puzzled by something.

"What's wrong?" Bulma asked in curiousity.

"Well, you're sorta being a bit calm about having a hell goddess in your backyard." , Willow answered, "That isn't exactly normal."

"Hey, after all the Cells and Maijin-Buus that I've managed to live through one blond bimbo with a few screws loose will be no problem." , Bulma replied with an abundance of confidence, "So when are you guys comin' over here? I mean I assume you'll want to deal with this personally."

"In about two days, we'll be taking the 12 o' clock flight." Willow replied.

"Well then I'll see you guys later then." , Bulma replied

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	5. Arrivals and Reports

"Revelations, Repercussions and Robots Oh My!" By Ryley Breen AKA Shadow Master

email : rybreen@theberries.ns.ca

**_Tokyo, Japan, Airport, 11:00 a.m (Local Time)_**

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"Uhhhhh, I think I hurled up a lung along the way!" Xander moaned as the group stepped into the main area of the airport.

It had not been a pleasant plane ride for him and the fact that he got air sick didn't help matters for either him or Willow who had been unfortunate enough to wind up switching seats with Anya half-way through the flight. The reason Anya had said that she wanted to change seats was because she thought that Willow might be able to pull some sort of wicca magic to make Xander feel better. The reason that Rosenberg believed Anya really wanted to switch seats was because she was getting sick being near her boyfriend while he was blowing chunks and Willow was the most likely target to hit up for a change of seats. Needless to say that Willow had been thinking up inventive ways of getting even with the former vengeance demon from soon after the switch to the moment they stepped off the plane. The rest of the gang for the most part were in good shape but had a slight case of jet lag since their stomachs said it was supper time while the clock on the wall said it wasn't even lunch time yet. Hopefully they would be able to get something to eat when they got to Bulma's place because just about everyone had avoided the airline food as a matter of common sense. However that meant that both Slayers and Dawn Summers were starving since their night activities burned up a lot of calories which in turn left them with impressive appetites most of the time.

"Just take deep breaths." , Willow said as she helped Xander who was a bit wobbly on the feet, "We're on the ground so your stomach should settle down eventually."

"Eventually?!" Xander groaned as he wobbled along with the rest of the group as they approached the main entrance of the airport.

Bulma had said that she would be waiting outside to the right of the main entrance so as to make it easier to find her rather than looking for a friendly face amidst a crowd. That would certainly make things easier but Buffy had wondered why the top scientist at Capsule Corps hadn't just told them which direction to fly in to get to her place. According to Bulma, while Goku and the others were allowed to fly where ever they wanted, Future City was still a privately owned piece of land with very tight security. After all behind the walls and inside the restricted airspace was a virtual treasure trove of high tech devices and tools that would make a thief a fortune if they could get their hands on it and get out in one piece. Therefore it would only cause more of a commotion if the security team suddenly got three unidentified blips entering restricted airspace at very high speeds. This had barely been a satisfactory answer for Buffy and it had only become more apparent as time had went on that she didn't like having to fly under something else's power. Once during the plane trip her irritation had gotten so bad that the tapping of her feet on the floor had actually caused the plane to shake a little bit. Thankfully Dawn had managed to calm her down because if Buffy had continued the plane might have either turned back to the US or put down in Hawaii. Once outside it was not hard to find Bulma and Trunks standing next to a large red van near the front of the parking lot.

"HEY GUYS!!" Bulma exclaimed with joy as she ran up to meet them.

There were hugs, handshakes and smiles all around as the two groups greeted each other like old friends. For the most part the group was just one big mass of people but as the conversations began to start it could be readily visible to the trained eye that Trunks was slowly moving closer to Dawn. Buffy saw this and rolled her eyes in disbelief, remembering only a few short months ago when Dawn had sent Goten to the next county when he and Trunks had been flirting with her. What shocked Buffy was that when she looked over to see what her little sister's reaction to this would be she actually found Dawn doing the same thing. For a moment it puzzled her how her sister had gone from punching to being attracted in only a few short months but then she recalled the amount of time Dawn had been spending online. Her sister had said that she had just been conversing online with one of her friends who had moved far away but she had never guessed that she had meant Trunks. With the possibility of a romantic relationship between her sister and the Saiyan-Human hybrid Buffy suddenly looking at the son of Vegita with a look of critique. After all she was the senior Summers woman now which meant that it was her job to grill all the boys who came calling after Dawn. True she didn't exactly have a great track record with boyfriends but she took comfort that she had gotten at least one of them right and if it hadn't been for The Powers That Be butting in her boyfriend would be here right now.

Turning back to Bulma who had apparently finished with the handshakes Buffy asked " So anything weird happen since we called?"

"Well I checked all the local hospitals and I think you're right about this Glory person being here." , Bulma said with a bit of concern in her voice, "I found an employee of Capsule Corps in there and he had been perfectly fine a week before, no reports of craziness from any of his fellow employees."

"Well then its official then, crazy woman is here!" Xander declared with a bit of fear in his voice.

"Yeah but she won't be staying very long if I have anything to say about it." Buffy said with firm confidence.

"Well lets get going then." , Bulma said as she headed towards the big red van, "The others are waiting for us back home."

With that the whole group piled on into the van and in a moment they were off for the Future City where friends and foes alike no doubt awaited them. The seating arrangement though made a few things clear though, much to certain person's discontent. Xander of course was positioned next to a window so he could not only get some fresh air to make him feel better but also because his breath still had the odor of vomit in it. Buffy had taken up a strategic position between her sister and Trunks but that had only been partially effective since they could still give each other 'googley eyes' and she was certain that they were maintaining some other form of communication with each other that she could not detect. Still it was the best she could hope for without appearing to be blowing things out of proportion. Willow was right behind Bulma in the passenger seat and of course it didn't take either of them more than five minutes before they were talking tech and using words that just didn't register with anyone else in the van. The rest were at various points in the van but were mostly concerned with either fighting the jet lag or ,as was the case for Giles, reading a dusty old book. For the next four hours they tried to occupy themselves to make the time pass quicker but it was significantly harder for those accustomed to flying. Buffy, Faith, Dawn and Trunks were all fidgeting in their seats but were told eventually to knock it off by Bulma who was having trouble keeping the van on the road.

Deciding to defuse the situation a bit Tara asked "Hey Bulma? We heard a bit of an argument coming over the comm array when we called you, was something wrong?"

"Oh it was nothing. Just another in a long series of fights that me and a certain Vegetable headed Saiyan get into from time to time." , Bulma replied with a bit of remnant frustration for the said argument with Vegita, "Actually I think he's actually looking forward to seeing you guys again."

"WHAT?!" , Buffy exclaimed with disbelief, "We are talking about the same Vegita here right? The 'I-am-a-Saiyan-prince-and-you're-the-measily-human' Vegita that is your husband and Trunks' father?"

"Yeah I know it's hard to believe but when he learned that you guys would be coming he actually had a smile on his face." , Bulma replied with a grin, "Usually that means trouble but he didn't make any of the usual macho statements about blasting you into a million pieces so it can't be too bad."

This did little to allay the concerns of the remaining passengers since they had all seen the fight where Buffy had attempted to avenge Riley's death by fighting Vegita. She had actually put up a good fight for most of the match but the second the Saiyan prince had gone Super Saiyan it was all over. It had been something of a chip on the Slayer's shoulder ever since which could explain why she trained extra hard during her sparring matches with Faith and Dawn. She of course didn't wail into them completely but it was clear that she was striving to improve herself as quickly and efficiently as possible. With that in mind half the group from Sunnydale was concerned that another fight would break out between the blonde Slayer and the short Saiyan prince. They had no doubt that Buffy would make a better show of it and get a few more punches in but when you match up a Slayer against a Super Saiyan its not hard to see who was going to win. Still maybe Vegita would let Faith and Dawn join in the fight since that would even things up a bit and give the prince of all Saiyans a better fight than he otherwise would have had. 

As they turned the corner around a large mountain range they saw their destination and all who did not live there were in awe of it. They could not see the city or any of the lands beyond it themselves but the security wall itself was amazing enough to look at. It stretched from left to right as far as the eye could see and reached so far into the air that it easily defeated most skyscrapers and monuments in terms of height. They could see little specks flying back and forth over the wall and after a brief question to Bulma they learned that those were patrol helicopters and planes that helped to maintain the restricted airspace. According to the daughter of Dr. Brief most of the defenses were implanted in the wall itself and the combined firepower of the entire security forces was equal to the army of Japan itself. It was clear that the people behind the Future City were very serious about what they were doing and were not taking any chances no matter how impossible a possible scenario seemed. As they approached the wall one of the patrol copters came down from it's patrol and flew along side of the van for a moment until Bulma held out a piece of ID and then it went back to resume it's previous activity. It wasn't long after that that they arrived at a large and thick metal door at the base of the wall and were forced to wait while Bulma talked with the security guard and the van itself was scanned. There seemed to be a problem for a moment but when Bulma leaned over and whispered something in the guard's ear he immediately thanked her for her co-operation and made frantic gestures to open the thick titanium door preventing access to the Future City area.

In a few moments the door slid open and they were allowed to enter without any further trouble from security. Unfortunately the fact that they were now inside the protected zone Buffy, Faith, Dawn and Trunks were back at being eager to get the hell out of the van and fly the rest of the way to the Brief home. Finally Bulma had had enough and pulled the van over to the side of the road where those who could fly disembarked from the veichle.

"Alright. You guys can fly the rest of the way but be sure to keep below five hundred feet." , Bulma said with a stern voice, "Trunks, let me make myself clear by saying NO RACING! I don't want security to think that a few fighter planes snuck by the perimeter guards."

"Oh alright!" Trunks moaned as he made it clear that racing was exactly what he had been planning to do once they had gotten out of sight.

"Please be careful Buffy, we have no idea where Glory is and I would prefer you not fight her until we have some sort of plan drawn up." Giles said from his window seat.

"As opposed to broadcasting to the entire world that the chosen one, the Slayer, and friends are here to stop a hell Goddess from destroying the world?! Giles you ask so much!" Buffy snapped as an angry look came over her face.

For a moment everyone who could stared at Buffy in shock and confusion as they were no doubt wondering where that little outburst had come from. A few moments later it seemed as though Buffy herself was beginning to wonder why she had said what she said and why in such a catty manner. Not having an immediate reply she said a quick goodbye and took to the skies in a rush of acceleration before heading in the general direction that the road was leading. Faith, Dawn and Trunks looked briefly in the direction that Buffy had been headed before looking at those still in the van and shrugging their shoulders to make it clear that they might as well follow her lead. Shooting into the sky, their energy auras barely visible they flew off in the direction that their friend had gone trying to catch up to her soon.

Once the rest of them had gotten over the shock of Buffy's mood swing Bulma pulled the van back onto the highway and resumed the drive towards home.

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Meeeoowww! Where the heck did that come from?! Buffy thought as she flew along parallel to the highway below her.

It had been about as much a surprise for her as it had been for the rest of them but only she had the privilege of being so embarrassed that she wished the earth would swallow her whole. The next option better than that was to go in the opposite direction in the hopes of getting out of there before any of them seeing how she felt. She would apologize to them later when she felt that she could control herself a bit better and not blast any of their heads off like wacky-gal. It only took her a few moments to realize that she had no idea where she was going or if Bulma's house was even in this direction. Coming to a stop she hovered in place in order to let the others catch up so Trunks could lead them the rest of the way. It took a bit longer than she had expected as it appeared that she had put even more distance between herself and the van than she had thought. Once they were there however she almost wished that she had kept on flying because it was clear that they were all wondering about her earlier actions and were hoping for answers. Her only reply though was to look in anywhere else other than at her friends hoping that they would get the hint and not push her on it. She would put together an explanation for them eventually as soon as she figured it out for herself.

Deciding to break the tense silence Dawn asked "So Trunks, which way is it from here to get to your home?"

"It's about fifteen minutes that way at the rate we were flying earlier." Trunks replied while pointing just slightly to the right of the direction that they had been flying in up until now.

"Okay then, lets get going." Buffy said as she started off in the direction indicated without another word.

Once again following the elder Slayer's lead the quartet of fliers continued on in silence with the only communication being some subtle eyebrow gestures and nods of the head between Faith and Dawn. From what could be determined from their gestures it was clear that they were debating how best to coax an answer from Buff but neither of them seemed to have a clue in that area so they decided to drop it. While they were concerned about what happened earlier they were willing to give the eldest Summers time to think things over on her own before approaching her again. Deciding to break the silence a bit Dawn accelerated slightly so as to bring herself alongside Trunks hoping to get some chit-chat going.

"So Trunks, any new super-baddies show up recently?" , Dawn asked in an innocent tone of voice, "I mean, aside from Glory that is."

"Naw, things have been pretty peaceful since Maijin Buu was destroyed." , Trunks replied as he looked back at the others over his shoulder, "Truth is I think everyone was going a but stir crazy with no great evil to fight. I know my dad looked interested when mom told him about this Glory person."

"What do you mean interested?" Faith asked with a look that showed her curiosity.

"Well...h-he lifted his right eyebrow." Trunks said sheepishly at his answered.

"His eyebrow?" Dawn asked with a look that begged for further details.

"Well usually my dad is stuck in permanent scowl mode" , Trunks explained, "its only when he actually slides out of that face that you can tell he's interested in something."

The three young women from Sunnydale looked at each other with looks of only partial comprehension before resuming the gazes to the city they were approaching on the horizon. For the Saiyan-Human hybrid it was a sight that he had seen for as long as he could remember but for the visitors from the U.S.A it was something to be in awe of without a doubt. It was a city that looked like it had come straight from a sci-fi movie produced in the seventies with magnifying glass shaped buildings and tube like walkways connecting some of the buildings to each other. All in all it looked like something one might see in one of those cheap and poorly financed monster movies than anything by Spielberg or Lucas. Once they were flying over the city proper the trio from Sunnydale looked down to examine what a busy street looked like in the city of tomorrow. For the most part it looked pretty much the same as any other city in the world except that it had a few hover cars and some strange looking people with animal-people costumes on. The fact that there seemed to be no theme to what they were wearing or what type of animals they were supposed to be made it seem even more unusual. Shaking their heads in mutual non-understanding they resumed their gaze towards the horizon hoping that they arrived at their destination soon. Not that any of them were tired but they really wanted some time to ask questions about this place and get answers from people who would actually have detailed answers.

Eventually Trunks slowed down and began to descend towards a dome shaped building with the Capsule Corps logo on the side. This was somewhat bizarre since it was not the factory for the company or one of their business offices but rather the home of the person who founded it. Still Buffy decided that if the Brief family wanted to have their house look like a company baseball cap than that was their decision. Following her guide's lead she, Dawn and Faith began their descent towards the building where a large group of friendly faces were waiting for them. She recognized Vegita right from the start, what with his unique hair-do, and next to him was Goku and his family. They were all waving, except for Vegita, and were all smiling except for Vegita who seemed to be letting her know that his feelings towards Slayers hadn't changed since their last meeting. Also there was Krillin and Android 18 with their daughter Maron standing nect to them and an old man whom she assumed was Master Roshi from the description Gohan had given her once. The only person who was not there was Piccolo which slightly disappointed her since she was actually looking forward to showing her former sensei how much she had improved since their time in the hyperbolic time chamber. Not that she thought that she was anywheres near his power level but it would be nice to go a few rounds with him to see how long she could last. 

Touching down on the ground the group all came together to have a repeat of what had happened at the airport. Lots of hugging and lots of welcoming which only got worse once Giles and the others arrived with Bulma in the van. In all the commotion none of them noticed two separate pairs of eyes watching them from two distinctly different positions within a hundred yards of the group. One set was completely black, lacking life and hinting at an origin amidst the arcane rather than the natural, while the other was a bespeckled set of eyes that looked all too natural but had a glint within them that did not bode well for anyone. For only a few moments did they remain before disappearing from the scene to report back to their respective masters, one who was of hell and another who was well on his way there.

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**_Undisclosed Location, an hour and half later_**

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This is *NOT* good! he thought to himself as he rushed down the corridor toward Seven's makeshift office.

They had arrived in this city only a few short weeks ago and already the two Slayers and their friends were here and mingling with the Saiyans' group. They had hoped for much more time to prepare for the confrontation before having to deal with those abominations but now their plans would have to be rewritten completely if it were to accomplish the desired outcome. Still he had faith that Seven would be able to think of something to turn the situation to their own advantage. It was one of the only reasons why he had thrown in his lot with the man, he had a reputation for being able to handle any situation no matter how much it had gone to hell. That and the fact that he believed in what they were trying to do despite the friends he had left behind in the Council. The rogue Slayers were just too dangerous to be allowed to be roaming around free like this and the fact that they were now with those monstrous Saiyans only meant more trouble than the world could afford. He shuddered when he considered what would happen if they failed in their self-appointed task to eliminate them, the destruction that would surely follow. Shaking such disturbing thoughts from his mind he composed himself for a moment in front of the door to Seven's office before knocking.

"Come." came a man's voice from behind the door.

Opening the door Nine found the room completely cloaked in darkness except for the glow of the computer screen which illuminated everything within it's reach including Seven. There was something different about the man, he seemed almost content, like everything was going according to plan and that there was nothing to worry about. Seeing this Nine almost regretted having to break that mood but he had urgent news that could not wait. Bringing himself to a respectful position in front of the desk he waited for his mentor to acknowledge him before beginning his report of his recent reconnaissance mission. For what seemed like minutes he waited while his leader examined the information that was displayed on the computer screen. From the angle he was at Nine couldn't see what Seven was looking at but it seemed to interest him greatly, enough to keep a choke hold on his attention. Finally though the man turned off the computer and flicked on a light that was sitting on the edge of the desk before settling his gaze on Nine.

"So what do you have to report Nine?" Seven asked in an almost casual manner.

"I am afraid I bring most dire news sir. Both Slayers are here in the city and are currently interacting with the Saiyans as we speak." , Nine replied with anxiety and concern, "This is much sooner than we had anticipated Seven and if our progress doesn't accelerate soon it may be too late."

Nine fully expected the casual look to vanish once Seven heard that the monsters they hoped to keep apart for as long as possible were now together. After all once they had some time together it was only a matter of time before everything hit the fan and if they were not prepared the fate of the Earth was assured. However Seven just sat there, a small grin playing on his lips, looking at Nine as though what he had said was of no consequence. This left Nine somewhat flabbergasted but then again he had come to see that as being part of the job description when it came to saving the world from the unknown and undesirable. Still it puzzled him to no end why his leader was being so calm and not giving out orders left and right to minimize the damage that would come to pass if they delayed much longer. Eventually thought it appeared that Seven was ready to give voice to the words that were whirling about in his mind.

"Do not worry Nine, everything is going exactly according to the plan that I have devised." , Seven said as the grin came into full view, "They have found it."

If Nine had been that sort of person he would have fainted dead away at that comment but as it was he instead was consumed with disbelief. After all everyone involved in this mission had assumed that it would take months to find what they would need to accomplish phase one. Thus it was nothing short of shocking that it had been found so soon but it certainly explained Seven's calmness since it meant his earlier concerns were entirely without merit. Everything was going according to plan just as Seven had stated a few moments ago so there was nothing really to worry about. All that was left was to decide how they would implement phase one and begin preparations for the next phase which would hopefully bring all this to a quick finish. Oh how he wanted things to be brought to a quick finish, so he could return to England and be reunited with his family. When he had originally chosen to side with Seven it had been more of a spur of the moment thing than anything else. He hadn't even considered the long term repercussions of his actions and now with every passing moment he yearned to get this over and done with as soon as was possible given the circumstances.

"Have you given the order to destroy that abominable place?" Nine asked with all his hopes pinned on the answer.

"I have decided to wait for the right opportunity before having them destroy it." , Seven replied as he turned his chair so that it's back was facing Nine, "It will take some time for the three units to get here once they have carried their orders and so it would be best not to do anything that would draw attentions to ourselves."

"Do you have something in mind?" Nine asked as he prayed that whatever Seven was planning was going to happen soon.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do and I think you'll agree that it will work quite well with our plans." , Seven said with the beginnings of satisfaction in his voice, "I have just learned that the Beast is here in town and given her most likely objective she will undoubtably provide us with the opening we require to implement phase one of our plans."

This was met with mixed feelings on the part of Nine since he knew all too well of whom Seven was referring to when he said 'the Beast'. He was a bit nervous that the man with whom he had thrown his lot in with had made something of an error in judgment. He seemed completely oblivious to the kind of trouble that might be caused if the demon goddess Glorificus managed to acquire all seven dragonballs. The woman was dangerous enough as she was right at that moment without giving her access to the power of the eternal dragon Shenron. If she were to somehow manage to be restored to her full demonic power than nothing on this world would be able to stop her. In that moment of contemplation Nine wondered if they were making a mistake in trying to rid themselves of the Slayers and Saiyans, if they might actually serve a positive purpose after all. Within a few moments of that thought entering his mind he banished it and tried to steel himself against such thoughts again. They were doing the right thing! The Slayers and Saiyans were just too powerful to be allowed to run around unchecked like this and if left to themselves they could very well destroy this world completely. Bowing in respect towards Seven he turned around and left the room with the decision that he had better check on the other three units. Seven was right that it would only be a matter of time before Glory attacked the Saiyans to get ahold of whatever dragonballs they had in their possession. If that was the case then their own offensive would be launched shortly thereafter and all six units had to be in tip-top condition if they were to stand any chance of destroying the Saiyans.

I just hope the modifications we made to Dr. Gero's original schematics won't wind up blowing us to kingdom come. , Nine thought as he walked down the hallway, The man wasn't exactly stable at the time he made them and we've already seen what happens when his inventions take a turn for the worse.

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**_The Satan Plaza Hotel, Ten Miles outside Future City_**

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Must inform the most benevolent and beautiful one of what I have seen. , thought the undead toady Zarfon, She must be alerted to the arrival of the Slayer and her pestering horde.

This was most certainly unpleasant to say the least and he was not looking forward in the least to be the one to give the reconnaissance report to the Glorious Glorificus. He had been sent to scout out the location of yet two more dragonballs and if possible acquire them before returning to the hotel. So far they had succeeded in gather four of the seven dragonballs and if the scrying spell was accurate there were two more at the building he had spotted the Slayer standing in front of earlier. That meant that once they had been acquired there would only be one more to find before the great and powerful Glorificus could summon the eternal dragon and make her wishes. However happy she might be with his confirmation of the locations of two dragonballs she would undoubtably be irritated that the Slayer was here or that there were other beings blocking her path to glory and power. He just prayed that she did not punish him for bringing her such unpleasant news but if she did he was confident that he probably deserved it and would accept it willingly.

As he plodded along he could hear his brothers working on the task the Great One had given them and hoped they were being most diligent in their efforts. The Most Beautiful one had foreseen the possibility of interference when she had come to this land and had instructed a handful of his brethren to begin creating an army of warriors. Oh she did not intend to simply use them to acquire the dragonballs but also to use as her first wave against the arrogant fools who banished her to this dimension in the first place. Therefore they had to be quite powerful and numerous in number for them to meet with their Mistress' approval or else they would all suffer for their incompetence. All matters considered though things were proceeding at a satisfactory pace and the great Glorificus willing they would continue to do so without interruption. As he approached the door leading to the omnipotent one's room he saw another of his brethren dragging some mortal fool out who seemed to have been the Glorious One's latest meal. It had been a great trial for them to acquire meals for their Mistress without attracting the attention of the local inhabitants and even harder to dispose of them safely. Still they would perform their duties with enthusiasm and joy no matter what they were asked to do because the alternative was blasphemous and punishable by death.

Waiting a few moments to allow Glory to clear her mind of the buzz that usually followed a feeding he entered and immediately kneeled with his eyes directed towards the ground. He would wait for the Great One to acknowledge his presence before giving his report for it was a gift to be able to speak to the Mighty Glorificus in her own chambers. For what seemed like minutes Zarfon waited and not once did he lift his head or raise his voice but rather maintained his silence and stance. After all it was a great honor just to be allowed to be in the presence of the great Glorificus and the longer it was allowed to last the greater the honor. He could hear her moving about the room, muttering her holy words and no doubt considering all sorts of holy thoughts that only a goddess of her stature would be capable of contemplating. Then he suddenly if it was wrong of him to listen to her without her expressed permission so he intently focused his thoughts inwards and attempted to arrange his report in the proper manner. After all an incompetent report would only anger Glory and he would sooner throw himself into a pool of piranha than anger her even in the slightest.

"Ahhh Zarfon, you're back from your mission! So did you find the two dragonballs I sent you to retrieve?" Glory said as she seemed to walk up and stand in front of him.

"I-I-I did indeed locate them most beautiful one b-but I was unable t-to retrieve them f-for you." , Zarfon replied with fear growing in his voice, "The Slayer was there and so were all of her friends. I could not have sneaked by them to retrieve the two dragoballs without being seen."

This reply was met with silence and that was the worst possible reaction that he could have received from the hell goddess. It meant that she was either extremely angry with him, in which case he would soon perish, or she was contemplating how to punish him properly which was even worse for it meant a prolonged death. So there he knelt, with quivering starting to set in and fear beginning to rise in his mind as the moments passed. Oh how useless he was! A true servant of the Great Glorificus would have found a way to get those two dragonballs but he was nothing but a mound of stinking demon dung! Oh he deserved to die! Whatever punishment, whatever death was chosen for him he would submit to without hesitation or resistance for it was what he deserved. He only hoped that his mistress would not bother herself with carrying out the punishment herself because that would only compound his transgression even further. Oh how he wished for release from his blasphemous existence!

"I should have known that bitch would show up sooner or later." , Glory muttered as she began to pace the room, "She always shows up and gets in my way!"

The Great Glorificus had experienced the Slayer's annoying ways many times since coming to Sunnydale and only through the hateful holy ones did the bug manage to set his Mistress' plans.

"Ah well! Heh, it just means that there'll be one more bothersome flea to squash when I'm restored!" , Glory stated with sudden joy and anticipation, "Zarfon? Tell those trolls downstairs to prepare ten of my warriors for battle. It's time to pay the Slayer and her friends a visit!"

Bowing once Zarfon got to his feet and while he continued to bow he backed away slowly towards the door. Just as he was about to turn the knob to open the door he heard the Great One cough in such a manner that it indicated he should look in her direction. Doing so he saw a displeased look on her face and feared that she would carry out her punishment after all rather than allow him to perform one last service for her great magnificence.

"Zarfon? Don't fail me AGAIN! Understood?" Glory asked as her eyes took on a distinctly unholy look.

Nodding in fear he quickly retreated from the room and almost ran to carry out his orders but all during this time he could still see his Mistress' demonic gaze and knew that he would not sleep well for several nights if at all.


	6. Settling in.

"Revelations, Repercussions and Robots Oh My" by Shadow Master aka Ryley Breen

email: rybreen@therries.ns.ca

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**_The Brief Home, Future City, 1:30 p.m_**

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"So, Bulma said that a demon from Sunnydale may have come here." , Gohan stated with a friendly smile, "Any idea what she wants?"

"Well we are fairly certain that Glory is after the dragonballs." , Giles replied as he took off his glasses to clean them for a moment, "We found numerous references to them in some ancient tombes in her apartment when we raided it."

"Yeah right after Faith tripped a time explosive that almost blew us to kingdom come." Anya stated as matter-of-factly while ignoring the 'did you really have to state that'.

Ignoring the former vengence demon Giles continued "We believe she intends to use them to open a dimensional doorway back to her native demon dimension or if that proves impossible to locate another means by which she can return home."

"Well half your problem is solved right now." , Trunks said as he opened a cupboard, "We have two of the seven dragonballs right here."

Taking them out of their box the half saiyan teen placed the two orange spheres on the center table for everyone to see without any trouble. In looking at them it was amazing that such little things could hold such power within them, the power to restore life and in some cases grant immortality to the one who speaks the wish. According to what Giles had stated back in the magic shop while they were preparing for their trip the eternal dragon Shenron was actually made up of several different dragons corresponding to each region and element on Earth. Separately they were powerful enough to give even a super saiyan a hard time if they came to blows but as a single dragon they were nearly unbeatable. Willow had made an inquiry about what might happen if Shenron was ever split into the seven separate dragons and Giles noticeably blanched at the thought. According to him it would not be pleasent due to the fact that if this were to happen chaos would rule as each dragon needed the other in order to remain stable. It would be like someone splitting him into seven different Giles' with each version representing a different part of him. Each Giles alone might be uniquely qualified at a task but without the others to act as a counter-balance there would be nothing to stop one or more versions of Giles from spinning out of control. The Watcher then stated that the same would be the case for the seven dragons, powerful as they might be in their non-united forms they would be out of control and cause great amounts of chaos around the world. Seeing the two spheres before them the Scooby gang hoped that nothing would ever cause the dragons to split into their seven separate selves.

"Yes, we had counted on the fact that you would have at least one of the dragonballs in her possession." , Giles stated with a modicum of relief, "However all that means is that Glory and her forces will have to come here to get the last two dragonballs before she can make her wish."

"Just how powerful is this Glory woman?" Goku asked from his seat next to Chi-Chi.

"Powerful. Last time we fought I went all out against her and could barely land a single punch." , Buffy replied with a frown as she recalled her ineffectiveness against the hell goddess, "Energy blasts weren't that effective against her either, she either dodged them or let them hit just to show that they didn't hurt her one bit."

"Ha, that isn't very powerful!" , Vegita mocked from his position leaning against the wall, "I'll make short work of her if she has the guts to face a true warrior."

"Don't underestimate her Vegita." , Giles stated with a bit of caution in his voice, "We still have no idea what the full extent of Glory's powers and abilities and it is perfectly feasible that she is capable of much more than we've seen thus far."

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if she had been toying with me the entire time we fought." , Buffy said in agreement as she tried to justify why she couldn't beat Glory, "I don't think psycho girl takes anything seriously except maybe finding the Key or feeding."

"Key? What is this Key thing?" Krillin asked from his seat next to his wife and daughter.

"Um, that would be me." Dawn said uncomfortably.

"WHAT!?" exclaimed all of the Z-Crew as they almost fell out of their seats.

"I am speaking English right? I. Am. The. Key." Dawn stated with a bit of irritation concerning their reactions to her revelation.

"What? How?" asked Trunks in surprise with looks on the rest of the Z-Crew's faces that made it clear that they shared his shock and bewilderment.

"I think I would be best suited to answer this question." , Giles said in an effort to divert the stares of half the room's occupants away from Dawn, "Originally the key was a storehouse of massive arcane energies, a battery of sorts whose origins are vague to say the least. A little over a year ago it came into the possession of some Italian monks who thought to use the Key's powers for good. Unfortunately they didn't count on Glory hunting the key down so quickly and were forced to get rid of it in a hurry. They performed a ritual that would send the Key to the safest place they could think of which was to the Slayer and so they changed it into the form of a younger sister for Buffy knowing that she would protect it no matter what."

"So why hasn't Glory just tracked Dawn down and grabbed her?" Goten asked while eating a bowl of apples.

"Goten! What did I tell you about eating with your mouth full?" Chi-Chi scolded as she gave her youngest son a cold stare.

"Sorry mom." Goten said in apology as he quickly swalled the chewed bits of apple that were in his mouth.

Deciding to answer the question for Giles Willow replied "We think that the Key being in human form and being so close to the Hellmouth has kept Dawn safe from being detected from most scrying spells."

"Thats why we're hoping to settle this quickly before Dawn pops up on Glory's Key radar." Buffy finished with a firmness that made it clear that one way or another she would remain diligent in her protection of her sister.

"Yes, well, despite the fact that we already have two of the seven dragonballs I do not think we should just sit back and wait for Glory to come to us." , Giles stated to the rest, "We should begin looking for the remaining dragonballs immediately and hide the ones we already have in our possesion. After all Glory does not need to beat us in a contest of strength or battle prowess, all she need do is find the dragonballs and make off with them in order to achieve victory."

"*_Yawn_* Yeah, then we can blast that bitch's butt into the next dimension and finally return to the relative piece and quiet Sunnydale usually has to offer." Buffy said in agreement as she gave a rather decent yawn.

For a moment the mothers in the room, Chi Chi and Bulma almost admonished Buffy for using such foul language in front of their children but before they could Buffy's yawn set off the other visitors from Sunnydale into a chorus of yawns. With the apparent fatigue of the foriegn guest plainly apparent Chi Chi and Bulma no doubt assumed that it was Buffy's fatigue that caused her to swear in front of their children. Therefore they were willing to let it go and decided it was time to start making sleeping arrangements for the guests of Future City.

"In the mean time though it looks like you guys could use some sleep." , Bulma said as she got up from her seat, "Once we heard you were coming I had Trunks help me prepare a few guest rooms for you guys in the house."

Giles breathed a silent sigh of relief at this since it meant that they would not have to find a hotel that took yen or American dollars. That had been one of his concerns when it had been decided that they would be travelling here, that neither Bulma, Goku or any of their other friends would have room for them in their homes. After he had assumed that if they had built their own houses that they wouldn't have planned to have more than three guest rooms at the most and if they didn't build their own homes than there was probably less than three rooms. With that knowledge it had been something of a conundrum as to where they would fit eight people between Goku, Gohan, Bulma and Master Roshi's. That of course had been before he had seen Bulma's home as well as the pictures on the walls of the homes of their various friends. It would still of course be a tight fit but he was certain if they thought things through carefully that they should have no trouble figuring out who should go where and in what house.

"I hope you don't mind but it looks like we're going to have to divide you guys into groups of two and split you up a bit." , Bulma said with a bit of regret, "Due to security precautions there is a size restraint on how big a house can be and how many people can occupy any one home so guest rooms are at a minimum."

"Still we figured that between the four houses that we have available we should be able to fit all you guys in somehow." Goku stated with his usual smile present.

"Well I'm sure Dawn and I could stay here with you Bulma." Buffy suggested as she looked over at Vegita and made it clear that her suggestion was meant to annoy the hell out of him.

"Well...if you're sure about that then I guess its settled where you two are sleeping." Bulma said as concern over what might happen with the Slayer and the Prince of all Saiyans in the same house.

The look of joy was clearly on Trunks' face which made it clear what he would be doing during their stay in Future City. Goten on the other hand looked like he had just lost to Trunks in another important competition and hadn't gotten a thing in return. The two of them were best buds but when it came to young women they were bitter enemies, almost as bad as Goku and Vegita were a few years back. Hopefully though it wouldn't deteriorate into a brawl between the two otherwise Dawn would undoubtably be given a swelled head as a result and would be impossible to live with once they returned to Sunnydale.

"Xander and Anya could stay with us at Master Roshi's." Krillin suggested with his usual smile.

It had taken less than half an hour during their first meeting for Krillin and Xander to become best buds since in many ways they were similar, especially in who they married. After all both Anya and Android 18 had previously been the causes of death and destruction and had both reformed only to have fallen in love with the most unlikely of men. After all at the time that 18 had met Krillin the first time he was among the weakest of the Z-Fighters and remained so even after the big battle with Cell. Xander was much the same among the Scooby gang, although truth be told he was becoming less and less of a hinderance than he had been in the beginning. Still it was nothing short of a surprise that those two guys managed to become involved with such beautiful women considering the prescence of more stereotypical images of male perfection.

"NO WAY XANDER! I AM NOT BEING STRANDED ON AN ISLAND WITH THAT PERVERTED OLD GEEZER!" Anya whispered with authority into the ear of her significant other.

From almost the first moment Anya had gotten out of the car Master Roshi had been eyeballing her like she was a goddess straight from heaven. Although she would be hardpressed to disagree with such a statement she had been absolutely repulsed by the way Roshi had been leering at her during the entire discussion. She could almost sense that he had been undressing her in his mind the entire time and had so far gotten down to her under clothes. Not willing to stand it a moment longer she grabbed an ash tray from a nearbye table and chucked it at Master Roshi in the hopes that it would decapitate him or at the very lest render him unconscious. It came to within half a foot of hitting the old man before it was caught by Krillin who looked as surprised as everyone else that their longtime friend had inspired such a reaction in the young woman. Android 18 though was less surprised since she had been tempted to do similar things to the old man but had restrained herself by keeping in mind that Roshi owned the house they lived in at the moment.

"Don't worry Anya. Master Roshi knows exactly what would happen to him if tries anything like that to any of us." , Android 18 said as she gave the old Master her best icy stare, "Don't you Master Roshi?"

"Y-Yeah! I sure do! I promise to be on my best behavior!" the old man responded with the thought of two angry violent women in the same house with him making sure he kept that promise.

"Well I suppose....." Anya said with less reluctance than before now that she knew that 18 would protect her from that yucky old man.

"Well that's two down and two to go guys." Gohan said in his usual cheerful mood.

"I'm sure Willow and Tara could stay at our place." Videl suggested from her spot next to Gohan.

"I'm okay with that." , Willow stated, "Tara?"

"Sure." Tara replied even though she would gladly sleep in a garage as long as Willow was there with her to keep her warm.

"Then that's settled." Videl declared with a mysterious glint in her eyes.

That glint came from the fact that the moment that Gohan had gotten back from that trip to America he had been acting way nicer to her than he had when he left. She had at first assumed that he had simply been happy to be home with his wife and child but as time went on she suspected it might be something else. Whenever she attempted to broach the topic of Buffy and the others Gohan had quickly driven the discussion away from the Slayer and to Garlic senior and the big fight they had taken part in while they were in Sunnydale. This made her suspicious and somewhat eager to find out exactly what had happened over there that was making her husband so reluctant to give her an honest answer. By inviting Willow and Tara to stay at their place not only did she have a possible way of finding out what happened but also a means of getting revenge on Gohan if what she thought had happened actually did happen.

"Then I guess that leaves Giles and Faith to stay at our place." Goku said stating the plainly obvious to everyone.

With that settled and the reason for the two groups coming together like this explained all that was left to do was to settle in and then once the Scoobies had a chance to catch a few hours of sleep the hunt for the dragonballs would begin.

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**_Goku's Home, 3:30p.m_**

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Thank God we're back on solid ground! Giles thought to himself with a bit too much reverence.

When he and Faith had stepped outside the Brief home to prepare for the trip to Goku's place he had assumed that it would be via one of the hover cars that he had ridden in with Bulma. Unfortunately virtually every member of Goku's family knew how to fly and so the car that they did own was hardly ever used except when Chi-Chi had to make grocery trips. That being the case and not wanting to impose on Bulma any further than they already had he had reluctantly allowed Faith to carry him while the group flew to their destination. Now while he was not normally squeamish about flying there was an exception to every rule and this was most definitly one of his exceptions. He had no problem flying in planes, helicopters or even gliders but when it came to flying via someone carrying him he became rather nervous and remained so for the entire trip. One might ask why he was so averse to flying in someone else's arms and the answer was because while machines may be reliable humans are not. All it would take would be a slight distraction or a loss of concentration and both he and the person carrying him would plummet to the ground. While it was more than likely that the person carrying him would survive he himself would probably wind up in the local hospitol with multple fractures and possible paralysis. With this in mind it is not too unreasonable to see things from his perspective and condone his reactions as perfectly justified.

Now that he was on the ground right in front of Goku's home he could already feel his uneasiness receeding which allowed him to gaze about the area without distractions. One thing that had caught his attention since he had first arrive in this bizarre world of futuristic technology was the dome like design that seemed to encompass at least half of the buildings. Almost everywhere he had looked during the drive to the Brief home and the few examples he had deigned to notice when he wasn't checking his grip on Faith's arm were dome shaped. While he understood certain advantages that such a building would have in terms of the weather he could not shake how odd it looked when compared to the buildings back in Sunnydale. After all it was a fairly severe change to go from a rectangular brick building to a dome-like home made out of some sort of advanced white material. Still Goku and his family seemed to have adapted to it fairly well although he thought that Goku was a bit simple minded and Chi-Chi a bit obsessed with proper study habits. The children on the other hand were more or less what he was used to with the exception that they could destroy an entire mountain range if they got mad enough. The youngest of the two was Pan and the family resemblence to Chi-Chi was obvious although there was a bit of Goku in her appearance. During the flight here she talked at length to Faith and unfortunately thanks to his proximity forced him to listen to their inane banter. From what he could tell she was more or less like Dawn, concerned with things young girls her age were normally obsessed with like boys and clothes but at the same time possessed with a hunger for adventure. That was more than likely her Saiyan side peeking out from her human self as it seemed that all Saiyans treated life and death situations like some sort of game. Deciding whether they were insane or just a bunch of bloody daredevils was troublesome to say the least.

"Well what do you think of the place?" Goku asked as he turned to the two people who would be his guests for the next little while.

"Well, i-it's unique." Giles replied in as honest a manner as possible.

Truthfully he wasn't quite sure what to say in reply to a question given by one of the most powerful beings on the planet much less with his family around. They were all quite powerful in their fighting capabilities but given the fact that his repetoire was limited to a few good punches and kicks they were all leaving him feeling a bit intimidated. However from the look on the newest Slayer's face it was clear she had no such problems expressing her opinion in front of such an intimidating audience.

"Not bad, a kind of 'back to nature' approach but a nice change from the big city. I just have one question." , Faith said as she saved the verbal jab for last, "What's with the chrome dome look?"

Giles cringed at this and hoped that the kind family that was agreeing to put them up while they looked for Glory wouldn't take offense at the ebon-haired Slayer's comment. When he looked over at Goku though he was surprised to actually find the Saiyan looking at his house as though he were actually considering Faith's question. This was most bizarre for Rupert since if he were in the Saiyan's position he would be a bit miffed and would have just given Faith a terse reply about it being the style around these parts. However the tall warrior never ceased to amaze him in how he could not take offense at most things but get seriously perturbed at other things that would be a mere trifel for most people. Eventually though it seemed as though Goku had finished examining his home and turned to give Faith her answer.

"I guess it does look kinda funny compared to the houses you guys have back in America but we're happy with it." , Goku replied, "Anyways this was just the style at time I built it so I didn't think it would be too bad looking."

Faith just shrugged her shoulders and said "Hey whatever floats your boat."

The Watcher gave out a sigh of relief as that particular bombshell was avoided and followed his gracious hosts into their home. The place was substantially roomier on the inside than it was on the outside but that was more than likely due to the prescence of the furnature. It looked like your average quaint Asian home with colorful patterns on the dishes and several proverbs hanging on the wall. Then he recalled how Buffy had told him that Gohan's mother Chi-Chi was somewhat obsessive about her children's study habits and saw that a few things in the home were meant to have a more educational purpose than aesthetic. Almost immediately Chi-Chi began to assign sleeping quarters with Giles sleeping in with Goten while Faith would be staying in Pan's room. This made Giles somewhat uneasy as he recalled his past sleep overs with children younger than himself and hoped that Goten wouldn't be one of those chatterboxes who never stopped asking questions. He had gotten quite enough of that when his cousin Albert dropped off his two twin five year olds while he went into L.A for a conference. Rupert knew all too well that Albert was really probably meeting with some floozey in some cheap apartment but without proof he was stuck tending to the little brats. It had been a tortuous two days but he had managed to get through it intact with little more than some damaged volumes and more than a few frayed nerves. True Goten was a teenager but he had never really spent the night sleeping in the same room with one of them since Buffy and the others only came to him when trouble was abound. In any case he was stuck with the arrangement since he was certainly not going to bunk with Pan and he was quite certain that Goku would rather sleep with his wife. Walking into the bedroom of Goten he was quite pleased that it was not filled with the usual rock band posters and the room seemed bare of all but the most practical necessities. There was a desk at the far end of the room by the window and a bed to the immediate right of the door with a small bedside table there with a lamp on it. On the ground there was a small bed made out and assuming it was for him he began to arrange his things accordingly hoping that the hard floors would not wind up hurting his back too much.

"What's a Watcher?" Goten asked as he helped Giles put his things in their proper places.

"W-well, it's like a teacher, sort of, who teaches the Slayer what she needs to know and provides assistance in battle when it is required." Giles replied as he tried to answer the teenager's question in as breif a manner as possible.

"What sort of stuff do you teach the Buffy?" Goten asked with his attention as sharp as ever.

"Well, I teach her the various names of all the demons and entities in the world that she will have to confront and how to defeat them." , Giles replied though he mentally added, Although it would be wishful thinking to assume that Buffy has retained even a tenth of what I have tried to teach her during training sessions.

"Is that all?" Goten asked as if he was getting impatient that his questions were taking so long to be answered.

Giles sighed silently as he realised that this was the beginning of a trend for the young Saiyan-human hybrid.

"No, I also teach her new hand to hand combat techniques as well as how to use different types of swords." Giles replied and almost immediately regretted mentioning hand to hand combat techniques.

"Wow! Do you think you could teach me a few of your moves?" Goten asked as he was clearly eager to learn what he could from the teacher/Watcher of the Slayer.

This is going to be a long trip! Rupert thought to himself as he had to forcibly restrain himself from looking to the heavens.

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**_Turtle Island, 3:45p.m_**

Hoo boy! This is *NOT* going to be a walk in the park! Xander thought to himself as he watched his wife-to-be walk upstairs with Android 18 and Marron while he stayed downstairs with Krillin and Master Roshi.

They had arrived at the turtle hermit's home a few minutes ago and already he could see the proverbial storm clouds forming on the horizon. Krillin had wound up being the one carrying Anya to the island after the former vengence demon had absolutely refused to sit in the hover car with Master Roshi. That had left him in the hover car with Roshi while 18 and Marron flew overhead and talked about things that girls usually talked about no matter what their age. With this done he had been left with quite little to do but sit still and hope that the rest of their stay in this world of tomorrow was as peaceful. Xander automatically slapped himself mentally as he realised that by wishing for a peaceful stay in this wierd city he was practically daring whatever Gods or Goddesses that were listening to make it the complete opposite of peaceful. He shook his head in dismay as he remembered that when you hang with the Scooby gang positive thinking and survival went hand in hand. After all if it wasn't the rest of the gang he never would have managed to stay as sane and *healthy* as he was right now. Heck he would probably have either been turned into a vampire or been killed by Mantis-lady when she tricked him into her home. He shook his head again as he tried to change his train of thought to something that wouldn't jinx him and the others to another world-at-the-edge-of-destruction-crisis that seemed to follow them around.

Looking about the inside of Master Roshi's home he found some comfort in the fact that it was similar to his place back home. Not a single incomprehensible future gadget that could make him sterile if he pressed the buttons in the wrong order. The living room and kitchen were right next to each other with no wall to keep them apart and of course there was an oh-so lovable TV perched next to a window that looked to be twice as big as his own back home. All in all this place looked like it would be endurable but that would depend on whether or not he could keep Anya from killing the landlord. Taking into consideration where the rest of the gang was staying he would have to say that he and Anya lucked out with this little tropical paradise. It was quiet, peaceful and far enough away from any Saiyans to ensure that he did not go through more than one pair of pants every day or two. Not that he was afraid of them of course, it was just that when they started blowing up moutain ranges with a flick of their wrists he tended to get a bit ansy. After all it was bad enough that they could fly on their own but did they have to make the rest of them look like complete weaklings by making it look so easy.

"What are you thinking about Xander?" asked Krillin who seemed to be able to tell when someone was distracted.

"Oh I'm just wondering how long Master Roshi is going to last with two volatile and violent women in the same house as him." , Xander replied as he tossed his bag on the sofa, "I mean Anya might not be able to toss him into the next time zone like 18 but she can throw a mean frying pan."

"Hahaha! Don't worry, 18 and I have been living here for over ten years now so I think that Master Roshi knows the rules by now concerning attractive female guests." Krillin replied with a slight laugh.

"So what are the bed arrangements going to be for the next few days?" Xander asked as he began to ponder where he and Anya would be sleeping.

"Well naturally 18 and I will be sticking together and Master Roshi has his own room so I guess that would put Anya in with Marron and you would wind up getting the couch." Krillin respond with a bit of an apolagetic tone in his voice as if he was saying 'I know how uncomfortable the couch is going to be but that's the best I can do for you'.

"Don't worry. After Anya found my collection of men's magazines under the bed I spent a great deal of time sleeping on a couch." Xander replied as his back spasmed in protest of the coming pain.

Walking over to what would be his bed for the foreseeable future he grabbed the remote for the TV off the table and immediately pressed the power button. It immediately turned onto a televised martial arts tournament with some balding guy with a big mustache dressing in a brown-shirt-white-pants-black-boots outfit was fighting some guy that looked like he had swallowed a wrecking ball. Content to watch this for a while he sat back and enjoyed himself he watched as the match develop, hoping that they had some sort of bikini wearing babe that would walk around the ring to tell everyone what round it was or something. He knew that he was engaged to Anya and everything but that didn't mean he couldn't admire beauty as long as he didn't make his lust all too obvious. He looked over to Krillin to ask if the guy would do him a favor and grab him a can of pepsi out of the fridge but when his eyes set on the ol' cueball head he saw a person completely disgusted with what he was watching on TV. Looking back at the television Xander tried to determine what was making his compadre and fellow tenent give such a sour-puss look to the screen. All he could see was the guy with the mustache who the announcer was calling Hercule raising his arms in victory and then going into a few fancy poses for the fans in the audience and their cameras. 

Seeing nothing out of the ordinary he turned back to Krillin and asked "What's wrong? You don't like this guy or something?"

"That's putting it mildly Xander. Hercule is the biggest fake I know of and he keeps getting the credit for everything when Goku or Gohan save the world!" Krillin said in a barely contained anger tone of voice.

"So why didn't Goku or Gohan step foreward and tell everybody the truth?" Xander asked with curiousity.

"They didn't because neither Gohan or Goku wanted the press swarming their home and didn't really care if Hercule swiped all the credit for himself." , Krillin said with crossed arms and a frown, "Personally I would have rathered deal with the press than have to see that showboat gloat everytime he's asked about the Cell Games or the last World Martial Arts Tournament."

"I head about the Cell games back in Sunnydale but whats this Worlds Martial Arts Tournament all about?" Xander asked as an idea was forming in his head.

"Huh? You don't know about the World Martial Arts Tournament?!" , Krillin asked in disbelief, "It's only the biggest and most prestigious martial arts tournament in the entire world! Only the best get to enter it and even then you still have to get past the qualifying rounds to participate in the eight matches."

"Realllly?! Is there some sort of prize money involved or do you just get some sort of plastic trophy?" Xander asked as the gears in his head began to turn.

"Well they have prize money but it changes every year depending on how the grup who organizes it did in the previous tournament." , Krillin said with some concern as he saw the proverbial dollar signs shine in Xander's eyes, "In the last tournament it was ten million zeni for first prize, five million for second prize, three million for third, and one and a half for fourth and fifth place."

Ka-ching! , Xander thought to himself as ideas began to fly around in his head, "When would the next World Martial Arts Tournament be taking place?"

"Let's see the last one was about two years ago so the next one would be in about three years time." , Krillin responded carefully, as if unsure he was doing the right thing, "Why do you ask?"

"Oh nothing, just thinking about the future." Xander replied as he turned back to the TV where the next match was about to start.

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**_Videl and Gohan's House, Satan City 4:00p.m_**

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Wow! This place sure is big! Willow thought to herself as Videl and Gohan set them down on the ground after their long flight from capsule corps.

When Videl said that they had a big place thanks to her father she had thought maybe a two story house or something like she had seen on their way here. She had definitely not expected an almost mansion sized house that had a three car garage and a fountain in the front yard. She found it hard to believe that this place couldn't have held all of them but then she remembered those silly security restrictions that Bulma had talked about and understood. Once they entered the house she was amazed once again because if she thought the outside of the house was big than the inside looked humungous. It was so big it looked like they could play football in here without having to worry about hitting anything or breaking any of the more expensive things that were no doubt in the house. Obviously Gohan had struck it rich when he married Videl because either she is loaded or she has someone who is wrapped around her little finger. A few feet away from the door was all the proof Willow needed that Videl and Gohan were well off as far as money went, they had a butler. He was the standard old person type and when he opened his mouth to ask if 'Miss Videl' or 'Master Gohan' wanted anything he was definitely British in origin.

What is it with butlers and British accents? Willow thought to herself as the butler, named Jefferson, relieved them of their bags and said that he would take them to the guest rooms.

Not one to argue with someone who obviously knew his way around here better than she or Tara did Willow followed the butler as he led them up the stairs and down a long hallway. All the way along Willow and Tara were exposed to more and more signs of big money and expensive tastes in the furniture and the material used to construct everything. Unfortunatelty this made Willow a little nervous as she was constantly moving away from anything that she thought might break if she looked at it the wrong way. She being a wicca in training made that very possible and she was sure that if she did wind up breaking anything it would take her at least ten years to make enough money to replace it. Gohan, Videl, Pan and Tara were trailing behind her and were apparently talking about all the stuff that had gone on in Sunnydale when Gohan had taken over for Buffy for a while. Pan just couldn't seem to stop asking questions about all the things that they had experienced and done in Sunnydale since that is pretty much all she had been doing since they left Bulma's place. She and Tara had switched back and forth as far as answering the questions went but as things kept drifting back to the times before Tara showed up it was left to Willow to answer. She tried to be patient but all these questions were starting to give her a headache and add that to the fatigue brought on by their trip from Sunnydale and all she was longing for was a nice comfy bed.

Finally after what seemed like a dozen hours they arrived at the room that had been prepared for them and Willow silently sent up a prayer of thanks to whatever diety had arranged events so that they would arrive at the room sooner than later. Upon entering the room she was pleased that unlike the rest of the house this one looked more or less what you would expect from a family's guest room. Turning she thanked Videl, Gohan, Pan and Jefferson for each of their contributions to her and Tara having a bed to sleep in and said that right then she wanted to sleep. They said their "you're welcomes" in turn although Jefferson had managed to put a British tinge to it making her feel like some sort of princess. Whatever the case all she wanted was a solid eight hours of uninterrupted sleep and a decent breakfast waiting for her when she woke up to bring her back to her old self. Dropping her bag to the floor she dug through it and took out her silk nightgown, the one that Tara had gotten her last Christmas, and immediately changed into it. By the time that she was done she figured that her girlfriend would be as well but instead found Tara staring out the window out into the city. It wasn't one of your run of the mill stares that a person has when they're listening to something boring or daydreaming about a better place. This one was definitely mystical in origin and it had the less experienced wicca's complete attention to the point that the rest of the world might as well not exist. Worried about what was happening Willow approached Tara with the intention of asking her what was going on but as soon as she stepped on a squeeky floor board Tara seemed to snap out of whatever daze she had been in.

"Tara? What's the matter?" Willow asked as she walked to her lover's side.

"I just got this strange feeling a few moments ago, like I was looking at something big but while my emotions were reacting to it my mind couldn't percieve it." , Tara said before shaking her head incredulously, "I'm sorry if I'm not making any sense about this, it's just that I'm not sure if I understand it myself."

"Don't worry about it, babe! I'm sure if it's anything important you'll get a handle on it and if not than write it off as just a case of hellmouth withdrawl." Willow said as she comforted her significant other.

With that Tara changed into her night clothes and got into bed with Willow to enjoy a good rest before they tackled the problem of stopping Glory. Yet as Tara tried to put her mind in the proper form for sleep she couldn't help drift back to her experience just a few minutes ago and wonder what it was that left her so uneasy. She hadn't been completely honest with Willow a few moments ago, she did have an idea of what this was, just not a very clear one. It had happened to her a few times before but it was never any clearer than this experience had been and it had always left her feeling distracted for days afterwards. The last time that it had happened the night her mother and father had gone through one of their more violent arguments which had resulted in her mother storming out of the house and driving off in her car. Less than twenty-four hours later the local sherif showed up at their house to inform the family that her mother had been in an automobile accident. Her father and brother had all the appearances of a shocked and mourning family but something inside of her, some little voice, told her that was not entirely truth. She hadn't allowed herself to dwell on such a painful memory but she was certain that the experience back then and the one she had experienced just now were the same. She went over it again and again in her mind but all she could say for certain was that something big was on the horizon, something that would change things for everyone.


	7. Business is About to Pick Up!!

"Revelations, Repercussions and Robots Oh My!" by Shadow Master aka Ryley Breen

email: rybreen@theberries.ns.ca

Note: I apolagize to all fans of this fanfic for the long wait for these chapters. I have been otherwise occupied since my graduation from university and my looking for a job. Add that to the fact that I didn't want to post anything but my best and you can probably find the wait a bit easier to understand.

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**_Capsule Corperation, The Brief Home, 8:00p.m_**

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I am *GOOD*! Buffy thought to herself as she sat herself down on the couch in front of the TV with a bag of chips.

It had taken a little longer than she had counted on but eventually over the course of the past four hours she had managed to annoy Vegita to the point where Bulma had to order him to take Trunks to a movie before he started a fight with her that might have destroyed the place. She realized that antagonizing an incredibly powerful Saiyan was not the most intelligent thing to do but since she couldn't beat him with her fists she would beat him in other ways. One of them was innocently antagonizing him and getting away with it by making sure that Bulma or Trunks was in the room to hold the former Prince back. True he had come close several times during the past few hours to firing off an energy blast or turning into a Super Saiyan but she hadn't been to concerned. After all she had been training pretty hard with Faith and Dawn since their last encounter so she was pretty sure that she could handle most of the attacks that he could send her way. That was of course as long as he didn't go super saiyan on her because that would be a bit of problem since the last time he had done it against her it had taken a senzu bean to heal her. Still as long as Bulma, Trunks and the others were around she didn't think that she had all that much to worry about which could only mean more pestering for that pompous Saiyan prince.

Hmmmm, I wonder what I should do to him when he gets back? , Buffy thought to herself as she watched her favorite show, Maybe I should practice some of my more high impact katas and try to keep him awake all night? Nah, been done. Maybe tomorrow I should just get up an hour or two before him and use up all the hot water? Maybe but then everyone else wouldn't have hot water either.

Just then on the TV show she was watching her particular favorite guy lead had just had his shirt set on fire and was frantically trying to get it off before it burned him too badly. This of course only worked in her favor since it would allow her to get a clear view of his abs and pecs which were enough to make her consider a career in acting.

"Oh yeah Kevin, flex those pecs for me!" , she said quietly to herself as the events unfolded on the TV, "Iolus doesn't even come close in the hunk area!"

"Maybe but I prefer my guys to be a little shorter." said a voice from behind Buffy that sounded kinda like Bulma.

Slightly startled that she hadn't detected the other person's approach Buffy was on her feet in an instant and in fighting stance just as quick. This made the reality all the more embarassing as standing before her was not some undetected enemy but a young teen who looked kinda like Bulma but had purple hair like Trunks. There was something about her that she found likable about her even though this was the first time they had met, it was some quality in her demeanor that immediately put her at ease. Relaxing into a more casual position she pushed her power level back down to a more casual level with the hope that if anyone had sensed its increase that they would see its steady decline as a sign that the danger had passed. More than a few times during their patrols together Faith had increased her power level too quickly when she saw something unusual lurking in the shadows of an alleyway. This had caused her to fly to her partner's position with all due speed in case she needed back up but when she had arrived at the scene she was annoyed to find that it had only been a nitcian demon. They were dangerous to your average human but to a pair of warriors as strong as she and Faith were it wasn't any more threatening than a bumblebee. After that they had both agreed to try and wait until they could identify the threat before powering up to anything above the normal Slayer level. They also agreed on a signal that would let the other know if the sudden rise in their power level was an accident so nothing bad would happen. Such was the signal she was putting out now so that none of the fighters in the area would think to come in here and pound this girl senseless.

"Sorry if I startled you, you're Buffy right?" the girl asked as she held out her hand.

"Yeah. Who are you?" Buffy asked even though she had a pretty good idea of the answer.

"My name's Bra, I'm Bulma and Vegita's daughter." Bra replied much to Buffy's chagrin.

Buffy had to fight to hold down the giggles she said "Pleased to meet you Bra. Hope you don't mind me veggin' on the couch like this."

"Nah I was planning on doing the same anyway, this is one of my favorite shows." , Bra replied as she hopped over the back of the couch to land next to where Buffy had been sitting, "I try never to miss an episode but some inconsiderate moron almost ran me into the side of a building on my way home. I was so shook up I just had to stop for a soothing latte."

This only made it harder for Buffy to keep her laughter to herself but she managed as she and her fellow TV watcher tried to watch the show. She didn't know what was more funny, the girl's name or the fact that she actually thought that a latte from some coffee shop would soothe her nerves. I mean the second one was a bit more understandable given the fact that different things worked for different people but the first was almost enought to send her to the floor rolling with laughter. I mean it was one thing to name their son after something that you either put old stuff or something a guy wears to the beach but to name their daughter after a woman's undergarment was ridiculous. There had to be a ludicrously funny story behind how she was named and she was sure to try and find out what that was from Trunks or maybe Bulma the next time that she saw them. One thing that she found odd rather than funny was the fact that Bra's power level was so low so as to be not much above her mother's. She thought that any child of Vegita's would at least have a respectable power level but even Vegita would find his daughter's power rather puny. Still she seemed pretty cool personality-wise so she couldn't be all bad and any differences she may have from her father were a definite plus.

"So have you seen the new Brad Pitt movie?" Bra asked without taking her eyes off the TV screen.

"Yeah but that girl she had co-starring with him was a complete bimbo." Buffy replied with a twist at the end that made her opinion of said female co-star clear.

"Gotta agree with you there! Does she really think that she can fool us into believing those things are real?" Bra asked as she fished her hand into the chip bag.

"Yeah, I bet they'd pop the second someone poked 'em with a needle!" Buffy said in agreement

This was the way it went for the next few hours and during that time the Slayer was almost able to forget about the powers and responsibilities that she had. She was almost able to forget the pain and misery that had accompanied her destiny given job and just sit there like any other normal teen. It wouldn't last though, she knew that, but still for those few hours all of her demons both public and private were silent. How long that would last would be up to the Powers-That-Be and the sisters of Fate.

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**_The Satan Plaza Hotel, Ten Miles outside Future City, 11:00p.m_**

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What is taking those bottom feeding demon lackeys so *long*!? Glory thought to herself as she paced angrily in her room.

It had been nearly twelve hours since she had ordered Zarfon to tell those lazy slugs downstairs to construct the warriors she would lead against the Slayer to aquire the two dragonballs that the whore had with her at Capsule Corps. She knew that she should have killed a few of those trolls after giving the order, that would have made them work faster, but she had still been in joy-joy land after the feeding so she had felt generous. Next time though she promised to herself that she would use all the powers at her disposal to ensure that she was never kept waiting again. After all she had been forced to wait for untold centuries to find a way to return to her native dimension and break the banishment spell that kept her here on this pathetic backwater plane of existance. She had thought for a moment that all she had to do was find the Key and then she would be able to go back no problem but not only did those monks have the nerve to hide it from her but then the Slayer had gotten involved. From there things had gone from mildly annoying to being a downright pain her omnipotent ass and she was not going to let anything get in her way.

That's it!! I'm going down there and telling those denebian slime devils that unless they finish within the next twelve minutes I'm was going to kill half of them right then and there!! Glory thought to herself as she threw open the door to her room crushing the servant who was caught between it and the wall.

All that was in her mind as she stormed past her other minions was getting things going at a much quicker pace than they were currently going. Anything that delayed her from doing that was going to find out why she had been confused with Shiva the destroyer a few centuries back. Needless to say any of her followers who were in path quickly got out of it as fast as they could and those that didn't make it in time quickly ceased to care about such things as well as everything else that they might have cared about. Her feet were pounding on the ground in a fairly loud way but not quite the earth shaking and thunderous way she would have preferred which made it the first thing she would do once she was restored to godhood. Particularly if it eventually led to her stomping the Slayer and her friends out of existance since she thought that that would be a great way to start of her vengence campaign. That and frying them in boiling oil listening to them scream over the course of a few hours since she would make sure that they couldn't die unless she wanted them to die. Unfortunately that would not happen if she could not get her hands on all the dragonballs and wish herself back to her full goddess greatness. Finally getting to the door that opened into the convention hall that her lowly servants were using to create her army and with one massive kick she shattered it into splinters. Once that was done she stormed in with a murderous gleam in her eyes and a roaring fire of anger in her heart which was not lost on those inside. Zarfon was the first to notice her and immediately began to approach her with the intention of begging for forgiveness and explaining why her soldiers were not ready. Unfortunately he didn't get the chance as within a second of getting within arms reach Glory reached out and ripped his head right off his shoulders.

I never really liked him anyway! she thought to herself as the next of her lowlies tried to approach her and calm her down.

This one however fared about as well as the rest as Glory immediately slammed her hand into his chest and ripped out his heart. This of course forestalled any of the others attempting to get close to her and instead they looked to maintain a repsectful distance away from their most glorious mistress. Unfortunatly that would be poor defense against her as before one of them knew it Glory had crossed the distance between them in the space of a second and decapitated him. With this done there were only three lowlies left and they were all quivering with fear next to the curtain that divided the room in two. Believing that words would not convince their mistress to show mercy two of them grabbed the curtain and as fast as they could tried to open it to show what was on the other side. The one who stayed still however was not so fortunate as without warning Glory stretched out her right arm and fired an crismson blast of energy at him that incinerated him on the spot. That however bought the other two the time they needed to fully pull back the curtain and reveal what lay behind it to their goddess. This stopped the great Glorificus in her tracks and caused a madness filled gleam to enter her eyes and a maniacal smile to spread across her face.

There in front of her were fifty armored stone warriors, they filled up almost the entire remaining portion of the convention hall and looked really dangerous. They were about ten feet tall each and had inch thick armor covering the joints and torso with various bladed weapons in their hands. However that is where the similarity between them and living warriors ended since they had no eyes, no mouth, no real sign that they were anything other than statues. That only made them more scary than before and the size of their weapons made it look like they were a building demolition crew rather than a band of solidiers for the great Glorificus. Still the fact that they were there and ready was enough for Glory, now she could finally go to claim the two dragonballs that were at the place were that bitch slayer was staying. She let a sound of feral anticipation escape her lips before turning to the two surviving lowlies who had been put in charge of constructing her army. They had clearly outdone themselves and exceeded her expectations but she sure as hell wasn't going to tell them that otherwise they might get a swelled head about it. So she put her best 'You better do a better job next time or I'm going to boil your heads in oil' look and stalked towards them like a jungle cat creeping closer to her prey. This caused the fear in their eyes to increase by a noticable degree and that only made it that much more enjoyable for her at the moment.

"I guess that since I'll probably be needing more of these golems when I return to my realm so that means you two get to live." , Glory said as she turned away from them towards the door, "However, take this long to prepare a small army for me again and I won't be as quick with your deaths as I was with Zarfon and the others. Understand?"

"Yes oh mighty one!! It will never happen again!! We will work ourselves unto death to create an army for you much faster than our incompetant past efforts!!" the two lowlies immediatly blurted out in a panic while they bowed in reverence to their goddess.

"Good! Now I think it is time we payed that bitch Slayer a visit and get those two dragonballs." , Glory said as a broad grin covered her face, "After all once I have those two all I'll need is one more before all my wishes will come true!"

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**_Artificial Gravity Room, Capsule Corporation, Midnight_**

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Man! At it for two hours straight and still not tired out! Buffy thought to herself as she continued to dodge the laser blasts that the hover unit sent her way.

It had been a little over two hours since Bra had gotten tired and gone to bed but that didn't mean that it was bedtime for her yet. Being the Slayer she had her internal alarm clock set different from most people and that led to her staying up to almost four in the morning before going to bed. While it was true that the jet lag from the plane was noticable she didn't feel one bit like hitting the sack. Rather she was so wired she felt like going out for a night of slaying but unfortunately she wasn't likely to find much thanks to the midget of a Saiyan prince whose home she was staying at for the next few days. Thanks to him and his constant bouts of 'I need to kill something' any demons that had once taken up residence in this area of the world had long since been killed and the rest of the demon community knew enough to give this entire continent a wide berth. Thus with no demons available she was forced to compromise and try to get a decent work out and fortunately Bulma's dad had mentioned this little room earlier in the day. Apparently when Vegita had originally decided to live here he had demanded that a strong enhanced gravity room be built so he could continue with his training. So with him asleep upstairs with Bulma in bed she decided to see just how tough it could be training under enhanced gravity, if only for the chance to show Vegita that she was capable of getting stronger as well. After all as far as he was concerned she would be nothing but a weakling and it would be quite a challange to prove him wrong. 

A challange that I am eager to meet! Buffy thought to herself as she decided that it was time to up the ante a little bit.

She had trained under enchanced gravity somewhat when Piccolo had taken her up to Kami's lookout but the room of spirit and time didn't allow for precise control of the gravity. It just caused the gravity to rise in response to her emotions or thoughts and given that most of her attention had been occupied with blocking and in most cases recieving her teacher's blows she had no time for that. Now though she was going to know precisely where she stood in comparison with Vegita, Goku and Piccolo. Hopefully she was good enough to be considered impressive by Piccolo's standards even though she didn't know what they were both now and when they were training. The green skinned Namek was never good at expressing his emotions and was not known for giving praise except when it was so obviously earned. After they had emerged from the room of spirit and time before that whole Garlic senior incident all he had said about what she had accomplished was that it had been worth his time. That was it. No glowing report, no tips on how she could improve on her skills, not even a respectful grin followed by a nod of the head before he whisked her back to Sunnydale. That fact had been bothering her ever since then and while she had been able to put it out of her mind for the most part it came right back to the front of her mind whenever she fought or trained. That had resulted in more than one training session when she had gone overboard and almost seriously hurt Dawn or Faith when they went to the nearbye moutain range to spar with each other. Fortunately thanks to the training the other two young ladies had recieved at either Goku or Piccolo's hands they had been able to deal with whatever she threw their way. There were always close calls but the most it ever amounted to was a shredded outfit and a slight case of nakedness which usually brought a swift end to the sparring. Now that she had a training room that would more drastically put her to the test physically she was determined to make the most of it.

Okay, the gravity machine is currently at twenty times earth's normal gravity. , Buffy thought to herself as she looked at the display above the keypad, Let's kick it up to thirty times earth's normal gravity and see where that takes me.

Typing in the number and pressing the enter key she waited for the significant downforce that she had learned about when she had first raised the gravity. A few seconds later it showed up right on schedule as she found herself being pulled to the ground by some unseen force and she responded in kind by willing herself to remain upright. She held this simple bracing position until she was sure that the machine had completed its increase of the room's gravity and then began to move about the room to get her limbs used to the new difficulty level. From her experience it would probably take a good half hour before she could safely begin to go through her warm up exercises and then her katas. She was making good progress from when she started at ten times earth's normal gravity and guessed that her Slayer body was helping her along by adapting and becoming stronger. She doubted she would be able to continue at this pace though since it was only a matter of time before she lost steam and figured she could get to fifty times earth's natural gravity before she hit the proverbial wall. Still that wouldn't be too bad since according to Gohan it had taken his dad almost three days of constant training to get used to that level of gravity. If she were completely naive that would make her achievement something to be curious about but she brushed it off since at that time Goku had just recovered from nearly gettin killed by Vegita when they had first fought. He no doubt had to work a lot harder to get back into fighting trim after that so she was sure that had he been at his best when he had begun training under enhanced gravity he would already be at seventy by now.

I guess you shouldn't expect anything less than a miracle when Goku is involved. , Buffy thought to herself as she continue to put one foot in front of another, According to all his friends he's got a knack for pulling off the impossible.

She was just finishing her preliminary laps around the room when suddenly the entire room shook violently causing her to lose her balance and crash to the ground on her butt. Wincing slightly at the thought of the bruise that such a fall was going to leave thanks to the increased gravity she wondered what had happened. Had something in the city exploded? Had an asteroid crashed into the nearbye mountains? Or had Vegita simply found out that she was using his training room and blown the roof clear off the dome house? She grinned at the possibility that she might have ticked off the almight Saiyan prince without intending it but it was then that her power sense picked up numerous civilian power readings winking out one by one a few blocks away. That and a tremendous malevolant power slowly advancing towards the Capsule corps building. Deciding that training and relishing in Vegita's annoyance would have to wait she switched off the enhanced gravity machine and raced to the window closest to the direction the evil power was coming from. When she arrived though she immediately realised that she would be getting a workout alright, just not in the form that it usually came in. Coming right towards Capsule Corps was what looked to be an army of stone warriors that looked like giant cave man statues. With their exagerrated brows, square jaws and impossibly huge bodies. Basically like something out of a comic book that Xander would have at home in some box in his basement apartment. For a moment she considered calling for the others but then a feeling came over her that changed that idea into one of taking on the entire army of stone warriors herself.

Heh, who needs the others! These pebble brains don't look too dangerous and besides with the kinda power I'm packing they'll be so much gravel in no time! she thought to herself with a wicked grin.

Not even considering what she was wearing at the time, sweat pants and a tank top shirt, Buffy ran out the nearest door and took to the air immediately. Rising in the air until she was up past even the tallest of the buildings in Future City she looked down to get a grasp of the situation. What she found was a mixture of comforting, horrifying and in one way downright insulting to her and she suspected to Vegita and Trunks once they woke up and took a look for themseleves. From what she could tell there was about fifty of these stone warriors marching down the street in two columns of twenty five and at the center of it all was Glory who seemed to be enjoying herself immensly. That only made her angrier as she remembered all the times when they had fought in the past and the blonde goddess had treated it as though it were some game. Part of her knew that was mostly because the she-devil as insane but a small part of her believed that the real reason was that Glory didn't consider her a threat. As if she were some annoying fly that kept buzzing around the hell goddess' face and could be swatted away at any time Glorificus wanted.

Well lets see you swat this!! , Buffy thought to herself as she brought her hands above her head, "MASENKO-HAAAA!!!!"

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**_Turtle Island, 12:15a.m._**

**__**

Damn jet lag!! , Xander thought to himself as he flipped through the various TV channels, It's midnight here but my body thinks its morning!

Once he and Anya had settled in, which thanks to Master Roshi took longer for Anya, they had pretty much went to sleep to take care of their jet lag problems. After all the sooner they managed to get themselves onto local time in terms of their sleeping habits the smoother things should go in dealing with Glory. Unfortunately by sleeping earlier he was now wide awake and forced to watch the most pathetic TV programs in Japan that could only get air time this late. Needless to say that unless something interesting came along soon he was going to either die of boredom or he was going to toss in one of the movies that were lined up beneath the television set. He would of course have to be careful since he had no doubt that some of them belonged to Master Roshi so there was no telling what was on them. The absolute last thing he needed was for his wife-to-be Anya to come down the stairs and see some adult film playing on the screen with him mere feet from the television. She was quite insecure about that sort of thing and gave her ideas that he wasn't as interested in her as he should be or that she wasn't that good in bed. That would lead to hours of arguing and debate that would no doubt get them thrown off this little island in the middle of nowhere just so that they could get a quiet night's sleep.

Just then the picture on the TV screen disappeared as what looked like the logo for a news program came on the screen and said something about interrupting the regularly scheduled program for an important news bulletin. At first Xander didn't pay it much attention because for him the news was just another pointless attempt on the part of the various institutions and the government to fill his head with knowledge that he didn't want or believe he needed. Therefore whenever they interrupted his normal television viewing time he usually just turned to a different channel for a few minutes until whatever the news people wanted to say had been finished. However when he saw in the corner portion of the screen a shot of what appeared to be Future City and explosions occuring behind the field reporter he found his attention fused to the TV set. After all if something big was happening in the city than he would bet his meager allowance that Buffy was in the middle of things kicking ass and taking names.

"Once again the citizens of Future City are forced to endure a night of horror and destruction as an as yet unidentified army of stone like soldiers continued to destroy everything and everyone in their path." , said the reporter as she tried to stay safe and cover the story at the same time, "The attack began only fifteen minutes ago as the creatures reached the south entrance to the city and has continued non-stop since that time."

The screen shifted for a second to focus on what Harris assumed was the stone soldiers that they were talking about and immediately got a familiar feeling in his stomach. It was familiar in the sense that it never failed to appear when some big-bad prophecy was found by the G-Man or when some badass vampire came to cause trouble. It usually meant that a lot of pain was on the way and that he would sooner or later find out what the inside of a Future City hospital looked like, especially the ICU.

"Local law enforcement officers have mobilized in an attempt to counter the invading forces but have proven to be ill-equiped to deal with so unusual a force." , the reporter continued as she suddenly ducked behind a wall when an explosion tore up the street nearbye, "The only people who seem to be having any luck against these hostile beings are three unidentified warriors, two of which were said to have participated in the last World Martial Arts Tournament and one unidentified teenage girl."

The camera than shifted its angle to focus on three airborne figures firing blasts of energy at the ground below where the invading force was presumed to be located. Xander was immediately able to pick out Vegita and Buffy from their unique hairstyles and he assumed that the smaller figure next to them was Trunks since it wasn't the right size for Dawn. He was slightly puzzled at why the Dawnster was missing out on the fireworks but assumed that Buffy had said something to keep her on the ground. Whatever the case the sense of fear that had existed in his stomach had faded somewhat since he was confident that between the three energy tossing warriors it would be a matter of minutes before the stone warriors were dusted. After all he had seen Vegita blow an entire mountain into gravel back in Sunnydale and that was without changing into a Super Saiyan. Given that kind of firepower there was no way that Glory's goon squad could win.

"However any progress that the trio appear to be making is apparently short-lived as the stone warriors seem capable of reforming themselves at will. Only those invaders who have been completely obliterated have remained down and those are few as the three defenders of the city seem to be trying to control the intensity of their blasts so as not to harm the surrounding buildings." , the reporter said with a grim look on her face, "That is a good choice considering that many of the citizens of Future City have taken refuge in those buildings as they had no time to seek shelter farther away."

You just had to ruin my happy moment didn't you!? Xander thought angrily as he got up from in front of the TV and raced upstairs to get Krillin.

While he wasn't saying that Buffy, Vegita and Trunks were wimps it was clear that they could use some help. After all if Glory was there than they would need all the help they could get to bring her down for good since he doubted that even Mr.Super-Saiyan-Vegita could beat Glory in a straight fight. Skidding to a halt in front of Krillin and Android 18's room he knocked as politely yet urgently as possible in the hopes that he wouldn't get a blunt object thrown at him through the door for waking them up. A few moments later the door opened up to reveal Krillin in a pair of boxers with a look that made it clear that Xander had best have a good reason for waking him up. Over the short guy's shoulder he could see that he had woken up her as well but that she had decided to remain in bed unless it was absolutely necessary to get up. Turning his attention back to Krillin he tried to sum up what he had seen on the TV screen in as brief an explanation as possible. It had to grasp the gravity of the situation while stating that things had not quite reached the 'oh-my-god-we're-all-doomed' stage that frequented most moments of his adventures as a member of the Scooby gang. Finally he came up with an explanation that he felt summed up all that was important about what was happening in Future City.

"We've got trouble, Big Time!" Xander said with all seriousness in his voice.

************************************************************************ 

**_Goku's Home, 12:30a.m_**

**__**

What the bloody hell is it now!? Giles thought to himself as he rose from his uncomfortable sleeping arrangements on the floor of Goten's room.

His stay thus far at the home of the world's strongest warrior had been mixed with moments both good and bad though no necessarily in equal portions. The supper that Chi-Chi had served was quite good and he had attempted to have a second helping only to find that Goten and Goku had finished the majority of the extra food that Chi-Chi had prepared. The woman soon after gave them a tongue lashing that sent them sprawling since both of them could have easily beat her in a contest of physical strength. In a battle of wills however neither her husband nor her son could even come close to matching her indomitable will. Supper had been followed by an impromptu sparring session between Goten and Faith who was looking to work off some of what she had eaten and satisfy the young teenager's interest in fighting her. For the most part they seemed even but then Goten got a bit carried away and transformed into a Super Saiyan and from there things went down hill. Faith had done her best against the young warrior but it was clear that she could not match him in terms of speed and strength. However that meant that he was faced with a bit of trouble following their movements around the area as they continued their battle. So it was no surprise that a few minutes after he had lost them he suddenly found an energy blast heading straight for him with power that he was ill equiped to deal with. Thus he had chosen to try and dodge the blast while putting some distance between himself and the point of impact. He had only gotten about ten yards before the explosion knocked him into the air as high as twenty feet before gravity took hold and began to drag him back to terra firma. Fortunately Goku had been there to catch him and set him gently on his feet because otherwise he would most likely landed in a tree or bush and that would have been most unpleasant.

With that little incident in mind it was only logical that he get out of the line of fire for the foreseeable future. He had decided to go inside and catch up on some research that he had been meaning to do concerning the dragonballs as well as the few vague references to Glory that existed. He had hoped that such things would keep him occupied until supper time and that if anyone else were to come into the living room they would see him working and have the decencey to leave him alone. That had worked for a while but he should have known from the start that it wouldn't last all that long, not with curious people like Goku and Goten moving about the house. Before he knew it Goten was looking through some of the other books that lay on the floor producing one look of incomprehension after another. Needless to say that did not stop the half-Saiyan from examining every book that he had other than the ones he was obviously reading at the moment. This of course got his librarian's ire up as he had placed those books in a specific order of importance to help him cross reference certain facts quicker. At first he had tried simply tried to speak to the teen and tell him not to touch the books at all but that only worked for about ten minutes before Goten was at it again. For his next attempt to safeguard his ancient volumes he tried to suggest various other activities that the young man could engage himself in to pass the time. Unfortnately it had soon become apparent that he was behind in the times as far as what teenagers thought was 'cool' or 'awesome' since virtually nothing he suggested seemed to pique the boy's interest. Fortunately though by this time Chi-Chi had finished preparing supper which caused the dusty old books to be completely forgotten as far as Goten was concerned.

For the rest of the evening thankfully Chi-Chi saved him from further frustration by insisting that Goten go to his room and catch up on his studies. The miniture Goku whined about it as all teenagers did when confronted with text books and homework assignments but Chi-Chi made it clear that he was going to study even if she had to bolt him to the chair in front of his desk. It never ceased to amaze him how one woman could inspire such fear and obediance in warriors who could quite concievably destroy this entire world without trying.

If only I could inspire the same sort of obedience in Buffy and the others. Giles thought wistfully as he picked up his glasses from their resting spot and put them on as he got to his feet.

He had gotten to sleep about 11:00p.m and so his current cranky mood was understandable considering he had only manged an hour of sleep. Opening the door to the bedroom he soon realized that there was a flurry of activity going on in this house and that if he didn't watch it he was going to get run over. Faith was just finishing putting her leather jacket on and once finished went straight down to finish putting on her Doc Martin boots. Goku was suprisingly already finished and stood waiting impatiently for the rest of them to get done as proven by the cracks forming in the door frame under his tapping foot. Goten was at the moment pleading with his mother to let him go and fight but Chi-Chi was acting not unlike the immovable object making it clear that he was to stay put. Normally he would have stayed silent during the argument but he was deeply concerned as to what the boy would do if he were forced to stay here against his will. After all it was bad enough when the boy was merely energetic but Giles shuddered to think what the boy might do with his books if he were both frustrated *and* energetic. He could just picture the teenager treating his one of a kind volumes like they were the Saturday morning funnies and turning the pages with reckless abandon with no concern for the book's value. 

Rather than see that happen he decided to intercede on the boy's behalf.

"Chi-Chi while I share your concern for Goten's welfare I am afraid that I am going to need a lift to the battle ground to aide in the efforts to protect the dragonballs." , Giles said in as sincere a voice as possible, "I promise you I will do my very best to keep him safe once we arrive at the Capsule Corps building."

"Why can't Goku or Faith give you a lift?" Chi-Chi argued with a look in her eye that made it clear that she was going to win this debate.

"They will most likely be targetted first and I would much rather not be blown into oblivion while in mid-ar." , Giles replied as the gears began to turn in his mind, "Besides Goku and Faith are not the most patient sort and might drop me a little to far from the ground in their haste to get into the middle of the battle. I know that Goten, well-mannered young man that he is, will at least have the decency to put me solidly on the ground as well as obey me when I tell him not to fight."

For a moment it looked as though his last argument wasn't going to work as Chi-Chi looked more adamant than ever that she was not going to let Goten go anywheres near Future City. More than likely she found it hard to believe that Goten would obey him in matters of whether or not to get involved in the fighting when she had probably tried everything in the book long before he had ever set foot in this house. Frankly Giles couldn't blame the woman since he had experienced trouble in coming up with a credible excuse for allowing Goten to come along and she undoubtably noticed. So for the next few moments they both stood facing each other, neither willing to give in but neither entirely sure of the strength of their arguments. Eventually though Giles saw the resolve in Chi-Chi's face falter and he silently sighed as he recognised that as the sign of victory in this matter.

"Alright but if I find out that Goten was fighting you're the one whose going to need the protection Mr. Giles." Chi-Chi stated in a tone that brook no argument and was like unto a commandment from God as far as he was concerned.

"Yes! Thanks mom! I promise I'll do exactly what Mr. Giles tells me to do!" Goten said with a smile as he grabbed Giles' hand and ran towards the door.

Within minutes all four of them were airborne with Faith and Goku in the lead and Goten taking up the rear with Rupert hanging on for dear life on the teenager's back. Giles found it somewhat strange that Goten had agreed to abide by the arrangement so readily given the general rebelliousness that was common to most teenagers. Granted he was sure that Chi-Chi had quite a few ideas for dealing with that and getting young men to do as they were told but he expected that even they failed occasionally. Fortunately his puzzled state didn't last long as a few moments later Goten made his position perfectly clear.

"You do know that I just said all those things so I could come along, don't you Mr. Giles?" , Goten asked with a sly grin, "There's no way that I am gonna miss out on a fight like this!"

Oh dear! Giles thought to himself with dread as he wished he could spare a hand to cover his eyes.

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**_Future City, Three Blocks South of Capsule Corps, 1:00a.m_**

**__**

**__**

This is *SO* not fun! Willow thought to herself as she strained to maintain her bubble like protection spell.

It hadn't taken either her or Tara too long to figure out that Glory was making her big play when explosions started to rock the city. Figuring that Buffy would soon be in the middle of things both of them quickly got dressed and were at the front doors almost as fast as Videl, Gohan and Pan. Once there they had been forced to endure a short argument with Gohan who thought it might be better if they stayed behind while the rest of them did the actual fighting. This however did not last very long as she made it clear that she and Tara were going whether he liked it or not and that the only choice that he has was whether they would be going with him or finding their own way to the battlefield. It didn't take the son of Goku long to realize that leaving them to make their way through a city that they didn't know all alone would only mean trouble for him if anything went wrong. With that settled the two non-flyers buddied up with those who could fly under their own power and half an hour later they arrived. What they saw was more than a little intimidating as Buffy, Vegita and Trunks were raining energy blasts down on what looked like armored Golem creatures. The next thing she saw was Glory lounging on some sort of luxury stretcher smiling and laughing at the carnage that was being wrought around her by her creations.

Once both she and Tara had been safely deposite on the ground Gohan, Videl and Pan immediately took off for the Golem army leaving the two wicca to find their own way to cover. That was a good idea considering they probably wouldn't be much help against those stone warriors but before they could rush inside the Capsule Corps building Tara spotted a group of civilians trying to sneak past the Golems and get away from the battle. Unfortunately the group's chances were dwindling as the combination of energy blasts and fierce blows being delivered by both sides of the fight were causing the buildings to become highly fragile. Just as she had been about to warn the people to run for it a balcony that had been attached five floors up on an apartment building broke loose and fell like a rock towards the unsuspecting pedestrians. Not needing to say anything she and Tara linked hands and used their magic to redirect the stone balcony towards a few Golems crushing them and saving the innocent civilians. It was then that both wicca knew what their role was going to be for the duration of the fight, rescue trapped civilians and get them to safety. Which of course brings her to the present where she is trying to keep a group of freaked out people together inside a protective magical bubble while she leads them to a safe place. They had been keeping in touch with Dawn who was back at Capsule Corps because she was the only one who could tell them where the civilians were located and how many were left.

I hope there aren't that many more left. , Willow thought as her bubble wavered for a moment before she willed it back into place, Maintaining this sheild isn't as easy as it looks.

Both she and Tara had been resucing people non-stop for the past thirty minutes and it was beginning to take their toll on both of them. They were powerful wiccas but they were still rather new to the more powerful spells and still hadn't learned how to make their energy last longer. After reaching the five block radius that Bulma's dad thought would be safe enough perimeter she let the magic sheild dissipate and steadied herself against a darkened lamp post as a slight dizzy spell came over her. None of the people she had just saved came over to see if she was alright, they just looked back at the way they came for a moment before running away screaming at the top of their lungs. For a moment she debated using the last of her magic to send an illusion of some big scary monster after them so at least they would have a reason for being scared inconsiderate idiots but decided against it. Reaching up with her right hand she switched the electronic headgear that Bulma had given them from scan to transmit and decided to report in for her next assignment.

"This is Willow the group of people that were hiding out in the clothing store are safely away." , Willow said as she looked distractedly at the devastation around her, "Any more people need saving or can I finally take a break?"

"Looks like that was the last bunch Willow." , came Dawn's voice from the headgear, "I can't sense anyone else near the battle and nothing is coming up on Bulma's scouter equipment either. Try your scouter and then come on in."

"Roger that, over and out." Willow replied as she ended the transmission and switched the headgear to scanning mode.

She and Tara had been given these devices by Bulma a little while after she and Tara saved the first group of civilians and were told that it would help them find people. She knew roughly what the devices were from her emails and online chats with Bulma over the past couple of months but to actually use them was something else. According to what Bulma had told her these devices were originally alien in origin, used by Vegita and other aliens in the conquering of other worlds. They measured the electro-magnetic bio-field that a person's body gave off and translated that into a rough estimate of their strength and abilities. Once it had become clear that none of the other fighters were going to need the scouters anymore Bulma had decided to develop her own version of the devices for search and rescue operations. After all the only changes that would have to be made would be to make the scouter more sensitive to different types of power readings as well as display a more exact location of the person being sought. Bulma had only recently finished the prototypes a few weeks ago and was just waiting for the oppourtunity to test them out in appropriate field conditions.

Well I guess now seemed about as good a time as ever. , Willow thought as she activated the scouter's search and locate function, Now let's see if there are any other ungrateful people I can save from being squashed or blasted to tiny bits.

Slowly and carefully she panned scouter in the direction of the battle so as to help it in finding its chosen targets, waited for something to light up on the eye-piece's HUD. She knew that it wasn't necessary for her to move at all for the scouter to do its job but she was finding it increasingly difficult to stay still like that. Even through the fatigue she could feel the energies being unleashed by Buffy and the others as they attempted to deal with Glory and her forces. It was almost hard to believe that Buffy was the same person whom she had met a little over four years ago. Sure she had super powers back then as well but now she could blast an entire mountain into rubble and fly faster than most small aircraft. It just seemed all so incredibly different from the old days of master vampires and icky end of the world death cults and she wasn't sure if she could deal with it all just yet. After all ever since Buffy had come back all powerful and everything the demon population in Sunnydale had taken a drastic nose dive and only the strongest(or stupidest) demons dared come into town anymore. While that may mean that there would be view evils to fight every week it also meant that the demons that did come would just keep getting more and more powerful as Buffy continued to beat them. After all some of them were so testosterone driven that they wanted to fight nothing but the strongest and Buffy was quickly proving herself to be in that catagory.

Well at least if we need any help we can call on Goku and the others. Willow thought as the scouter's search came up empty.

Shutting the device off she began to lightly run towards the Capsule Corps building, hoping that nothing bad had happened since her last transmission to Dawn.

************************************************************************


	8. Changes in the Future of Fate.

"Revelations, Repercussions and Robots Oh My!" by Shadow Master aka Ryley Breen

email: rybreen@theberries.ns.ca

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**_Undisclosed Location, Seven's Office, 1:25a.m_**

The man known only as Seven sat and watched as the action on the screen continued at a fairly rapid pace. He had been watching since the first news stations had begun transmitting footage to their various views of the invasion being committed by the hell goddess Glorificus. He of course was not relying on those moronic TV camera-men to get him the footage he wanted, he had dispatched one of his underlings to the scene to get the kind of coverage he required. He had been pleased that Glory had done what he had predicted and made a play for the dragonballs being held in the Brief home. It would help him achieve his goals so much quicker than if he had been forced to produce an acceptable diversion himself and certainly less costly given the limited resources he had to work with at the moment. Back when he had originally devised this plan he had planned to requisition more materials and devices but the Watcher's council had responded to his actions quicker than he had previously anticipated. Still he could work with what he had managed to get and so long as there was no drastic deviations from the plan he saw no reason why it shouldn't succed completely. The implements for the first phase were in place at the lair of their target and only awaited his order to begin the operation as outlined during their briefing.

However I cannot afford to rush things along. , Seven thought as he continued to observe his overall targets fighting Glory on the view screen, For the moment the targets must be completely in the dark as to my presence and intentions or else matters could become considerably more complicated.

Not that he wasn't capable of dealing with it if the situation did get out of hand but like all professionals he preferred it when operations of this magnitude went according to plan. It confirmed his opinion of his intelligence and let those who would oppose his vision know that he was a force to be reckoned with in such matters. It also showed those that had supported him in the current mission that their faith in him had been well founded and act as an incentive to continue to obey him. That was what he wanted more than anything else, their willingness to obey his orders without question and without any hesitation whatsoever. Anything less would give them time to think about what they were doing and perhaps develop some sympathy for their prey. Such sympathy might cause them to question their goal or even defect to the other side and that was something he would not tolerate. He would not allow anything or anyone to prevent him from destroying the greatest threat this world had seen since the dark ages. It was not only the Saiyans power that made them dangerous but also the fact that the people of the world were becoming oblivious to the threat they represented. No matter what they might say to the contrary the Saiyans were ruthless warriors who took pleasure in the destruction of others regardless of how innocent they were or how defenseless. It was their nature and a living being could only go against their nature for so long before it overcame them and took complete control. How long would it be before the Saiyans reverted to their true natures? How long before they decided to conquer this world and make it into Neo-Vegita?

I will *not* see this world twisted into such a monsterous form! , Seven thought feverantly, I will destroy all saiyans as well as any bastard children they may have spawned!

Of course none of the emotions that he was feeling at the moment reached his face or any other facet of noticable body language. He was very good at that, keeping his true thoughts and feelings hidden from the rest of the world, and it had helped him intimidate or manipulate more than a few adversaries. It was like dark cave, only the surface was visible with the interior shrouded in darkness with no hint as to what it contained or what horrors lay within. It made it virtually impossible for anyone to deduce anything of value about him when they chanced to meet which led to valuable mistakes being made that he could exploite completely. It had been this ability that had allowed him to make preparations for this mission right under counicl member One's nose. The man had been revered among the inner circle as the best among them because he had been around the longest, had seen and experienced more than anyone else present. Well he had certainly shown them, shown that he had more cunning and intelligence than the lot of them put together and once the Saiyans had been dealt with he would turn to deal with them.

Placing his attention back on the screen before him he noticed that over half of the stone warriors that Glorificus had brought with her had been destroyed. It wouldn't be long before the oppourtunity he had been waiting for would present itself and he would have to time his actions precisely in order for it to appear the way he wanted it to in the minds of his adversaries. If he initiated this phase of his overall plan at the wrong moment there was a distinct chance that the Saiyans would pick up on it. That would complicate matters significantly and might force him to accelerate his agenda in order to prevent the rest of it from falling apart. Reaching over he picked up a small turtle-like stone from his desk and held it out in front of him before he began to chant in an ancient language. With each word he spoke the stone began to glow brighter and brighter until finally all the light seemed to gather in the center and shoot straight up before unfolding like a fan to the sides. Once the energy being used solidified three faces took form which he recognised all to well and they looked somewhat impatient.

"Well?! Is it time *yet*?!" the first, male, said with impatience clear in his face as well as his voice.

"Almost. The battle is reaching its conclusion and it will soon be time to act." , Seven said ignoring the impatient one's glare, "I trust you have remained undetected by your target?"

"The slob is completely in the dark boss." , replied the second, a female, who seemed a bit more respectful of his position, "He won't know what hit him."

"Good. Understand that I don't want anything left by the time you are done." , Seven stated with the required seriousness that brook no disobedience, "There must be nothing left that others could salvage or make use of when they arrive on the scene. NOTHING. Do you understand?"

"Trust me, even bacteria won't survive what we have planned for this place." stated the last of the three, a male, whose confidence seemed to personify him.

"Excellent." Seven said as he placed the talismen off to the side while allowing the spell to dissipate.

Soon the future of the world will be back in the hands of those most deserving. , Seven said as he placed a cigarette in his mouth and lit it, Humans.

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**_Two Blocks South of Capsule Corps, 1:30a.m_**

**__**

**__**

This is getting ridiculous! Buffy thought to herself as another powerful punch succeeded in shattering her opponant.

It had been an hour and a half since she had first engaged the stone-thingys that Glory had fighting for her and there was still over twenty that needed to be destroyed. It had helped when Krillin and Android 18 had showed up to provide back-up but the problem wasn't really firepower. These things were easy enough to smash apart, it was keeping them that way that was causing all of them so much frustration. These stony soldiers just kept pulling themselves back together and if that wasn't bad enough bits and pieces of the destroyed ones were just fusing themselves onto the ones that were still standing. It was infuriating and not at all the kind of fight that she preferred to be involved in when there were much more appealing targets to start tearing into. She had spotted Glory almost the moment she took to the air but everytime that she tried to get closer she would either get tagged by an energy blast from a group of stone warriors or fly right into some energy field that was protecting surrounding the hell goddess. So in lieu of taking out her frustration on the true source of her anger she had to settle for these blank faced nobodies.

Needless to say they were a poor substitute and what really killed her was that she was not fighting at her peak power level, something that she had the increasing urge to do everytime that blonde bimbo laughed. As long as there were still civilians in the buildings on either side of the street none of those among them who could fire energy blasts were willing to risk powering up to maximum. Looking up she could see the anger slowly rising in Vegita and she could tell that he was taking this 'holding back' about as well as she was but apparently fear of his wife reading him the riot act was keeping him in check. That and the fact that he would no doubt be unable to explain to his son Trunks why he wound up killing innocent people in a way that would not make him look like a monster.

Nice to see that Vegita has a soft spot somewhere underneath that chip on his shoulder. Buffy thought as she dodged an attack from her left.

Just then she sensed a power signature approaching her from behind and began to turn around hoping that Glory hadn't called upong some other demon to help her at the last minute. Whipping around with a special beam cannon ready for the thing sneaking up behind her she was surprised when the source of the energy reading turned out to be Dawn. Angry that her sister had disobeyed her orders to stay at the Capsule Corps building Buffy fired the beam cannon at a cluster of stone warriors directly to the left of the injured Dawn.

"Dawn what are you doing here!? I told you to stay back at the Capsule Corps building!" , Buffy almost yelled with her tone clearly of dislike, "You're in no condition to fight with that shoulder wound!"

This caused a bit of anger and frustration to emerge from the younger Summers girl and she vented it by opening her mouth and letting loose a blast of moderate proportions. She did this both because most other specific techniques that she knew about required both arms and because she knew that this particular technique grossed Buffy out a lot. True it wasn't exactly pleasant for her either since it left her mouth and throat bone dry but she was willing to deal with some desert mouth in this case.

"Jeez, I'm just here to deliver a message from Willow!" , Dawn said with annoyance, "She said that she and Tara have finished clearing out the norms out of the building so feel free to cut loose."

"Fine I got the message. Now get back there and stay inside with Bulma until this is over!" Buffy said as she all but turned her sister around and shoved her in the direction of Capsule Corps.

"Hey! It's not like I'm entirely helpless here Buffy!" , Dawn said as she stood her ground against her sister while dodging attacks from Glory's troops, "Hell! According to Goku I've got more power than *you* do!"

"Yeah power that you can't get to and that we can't afford to allow Glory to pick up on!" , Buffy retorted as she began to power up while sending out energy waves to give her and Dawn a bit of room to move, "Besides in case you haven't been keeping track of everything it's the two dragonballs back at Capsule Corps that we have to protect and I think we'd all like someone with some 'oomph' guarding them in person!"

It was with that argument that Dawn realised that as usual her sister was right and she was making things worse for the home team and better for Glory by staying here. Still that didn't mean she had to like being left out of the action so with one final parting shot at Glorificus' forces Dawn shot into the sky before angling off towards the Capsule Corps building. Sighing with relief that Dawn was finally out of harms way Buffy decided it was finally time to let that hell-bitch responsible for this mess know who and what it was she was up against. Mentally pulling off the roof on her powers the eldest Slayer began to push her power level up higher and higher, using her feelings of hatred towards Glory and her with to protect her friends to guide her efforts. Piccolo had mentioned during their training that anger was a useful motivator when a warrior wanted to kick their power level to max in a hurry but made it clear that too much anger was dangerous. It clouded the mind and could potentially stunt the growth of ones power, prevent that person from reaching their true potential, and that could prove disasterous in a fight. Still she was getting the desired results if the cracks forming around her in the concrete street were any hint. With one final surge of power she finally reached her maximum power level and was ready to lay waste to these pebble-brained granite heads. Taking off into the air she flew backwards with her face skyward until she reached the head of Glory's stone army and then killed the momentum on her upper body and head to allow her lower body and legs to swing into position. Coming to a perfect landing she planted her feet on the ground and braced herself as best she could for what was about to happen. Bringing her right arm up she made it as stiff and straight as she could while taking her left arm and using it to further reinforce her right arm thus making it as solid and immovable as possible. Then it was time for her to pull off a move that she had only heard about from Trunks but according to the half-Saiyan it was one of Piccolo's best attacks. Bringing up the palm of her right hand she positioned it so that it faced Glory and her troops Buffy began to gather energy in massive proportions. It was a difficult technique which she was beginning to think was to difficult for her to pull off and time was beginning to run out as the stone warriors of the hell-goddess Glorificus were getting closer every second. However that same determination and stubborness that seemed to be cropping up with more and more frequency lately kept her in place. The seconds seemed to tick by like hours and the golems seemed to be getting close much too quickly for her liking while her technique preparations continued to proceed at a snails pace. Eventually though she could feel that the energy she had gathered in her palm was as high as it was going to get and that it was time to release it.

With a sinister grin she took one final moment to make sure she was ready and then yelled "BA-KU-RI-KIMA-HAAAAA!!!"

With that a blast almost as bright as the sun launched from her hand and shot away from her palm like a massive river of power. The energy tore through the golems as though they were little more than sand sculptures and reducing them to less than dust in the blink of an eye without being interrupted on its path. It continued on, vaporizing on group of stone warriors after another, and for awhile looked like it would never stop until it hit something of superior strength. Which is exactly how she had planned it as before it could go too far and tear up some of the still populated buildings in other sections of the city it slammed into the protective energy surrounding Glory. Dispite what others might think she did occasionally plan things out, not everything she did was done by the seat of her pants, and this was definitely one of those times she planned ahead. She knew that Glory's sheild would have to be pretty powerful if she were attacking the home of the *second* most powerful Saiyan in existance. That was convenient for her since it meant that she could let loose a powerful blast to atomize the remaining golems without worrying about killing innocent people. Plus it gave Glorificus a good wake up call to tell her that any plans she may have had for an easy and entertaining B & E just went up in a puff of smoke. Cutting off the flow of energy to her palm the blast quickly dissipated into nothing leaving little but a cloud of dirt and debris settling to the ground to be concerned about. Eventually everything cleared and Buffy was able to see first hand just how well her idea had turned out and how much gloating potential it had for her to use against Vegita.

"Man! I *ROCK*!" Buffy said with cocky smile and pride swelling in her voice.

Ahead of her all that was left of the stone army that Glory had amassed were a few scattered piles of sand and some small charred bits of armor. Everything else connected to those once monsterious minions were completely gone as well as a fair chunk of a few close by buildings that had caught some of the offshoots of the blast. She wasn't worried though since she was sure that any competant landlord or business owner would have had the sense to have a helluva lot of insurance when living near to Vegita. What was even more pleasing was the fact that her blast seemed to have knocked the protective energy field around Glory out of whack because it was becoming unstable in various places and disappearing entirely in others. Looking up to see what the others thought her smile quickly got bigger as almost everyone's jaws were hanging, even Vegita's. Turning back to the hell goddess Buffy's attention became completely focused as Glory stood up on her platform and jumped to the crack covered ground.

"Do you have *ANY* idea how hard it was to creat those fifty golem warriors!?" Glory exclaimed with a combination of annoyance and anger.

"Probably more time than it took for me to blow them apart." , Buffy retorted in a tone that made it clear she had found the golems to be weaklings, "Guess when it comes to shopping everything you buy is cheap."

"Tell me abou-- HEY! I'll have you know this is a Versaci original!" Glory exclaimed as she caught Buffy's subtle jibe about the goddess' fashion sense.

This only caused Buffy's smile to stretch across her face even more as she took pleasure in her enemies frustration and at her own rapier like wit. Before Piccolo had trained her she had just used wise-cracks to keep the reality and fear of failure at bay when she fought the demons and vampires. Now though it heightened her enjoyment of the moment to be winning a fight both physically and verbally over someone who had been such a thorn in her side since she first appeared. She was still a bit concerned that she did not have the power necessary to win in a contest of brute strength but she was certain that if Glory proved to be too much for her that the others would step in to help out.

"Oh I'm sure it's an orignal, a Betty Rubble original." Buffy stated as she inwardly took pleasure at the rage that was growing on the hell goddesses face.

This is going to be fun! Buffy thought to herself as she began to plan out her next verbal jab.

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**_An Undisclosed Location, 1:45a.m_**

**__**

**__**

It's time. Seven thought as he reached over to get the glowing green talisman.

He had been watching the battle and was now certain that a direct conflict between the Beast and Ms. Summers was mere moments away. That was why he had to make sure that the agents that were on the other end of this mystical communications device were in position and ready to attack. The timing was crucial, they could not afford to be more than a half a second off in their action or else his carefully laid plan would have to take a forced detour. That would be manageable but it would take longer and that meant more time for those fools back at the Watcher's Council to make up their minds as to whether or not to take action. He was certain that by now they were well aware of where he was but not what he intended to do, not that they ever would be able to guess at the sheer scope of his plans. Oh they knew that he had stolen six units from a storage facility in Great Britain and probably thought that he planned to through them against the Saiyans when the timing was right. That was at least partially true, he did intend to use the units against the Saiyans but not right away. There were still a few pieces of the puzzle that he needed to aquire, some manipulations that had not yet taken place that would secure for him his ultimate end goal. For now he would settle for dealing with the Council's hypocritical demon Slayers and then he would move on to the true source of his hatred.

As soon as he picked up the talisman that was glowing green in his hand it began to cycle through the start-up procedures, changing from it's "sleeper" mode to its "active" mode. In truth the talisman just needed his will to become active, the words and incantations were just to give it direction and a destination. Once he held it in front of him the almost holographic image of his agents finally appeared and solidified with two eager to serve while the other was impatient as usual. Still the impatient one would serve, he had no choice as Seven had managed to avoid the mistake that Dr. Gero had made in his creations. That was the one thing he took pride in, his ability to plan for just about any contingency and wind up using it to his advantage.

"It is time, prepare to begin your bombardment on my signal." Seven said without taking his eyes off the TV screen showing Buffy and Glory.

"It's about time!" the impatient male said as he fell into line with the others and raised his arms out in front of him.

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**_Two Blocks South of Capsule Corps, 1:42a.m_**

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**__**

Time to wrap this up. Buffy thought to herself as she reigned in some of her pleasure at verbally poking Glory with a very pointy stick.

She had spent the last four minutes verbally abusing Glorificus and could tell that the skank was about two steps away from losing her cool completely. With this last verbal jab she would stop talking with her mouth and let her fists do all the talking for her as she planned to pound that tramp into the ground. Well..... Maybe not into the ground but she would definitely get her share of cuts and bruises that hopefully would take at least a week to heal.

"So Glory, you ready to get started or do I have to wait for that spaz filled brain to figure out how?" Buffy asked with a voice that spoke pure contempt for the hell-goddess.

That did it! Buffy thought with satisfaction as she could see a collection of energy beginning to form around Glory's right hand.

Rising into the air she decided it would be better if she were aireborne since in all the time she had been fighting Glorificus she had never seemed capable of going airborne. That would be her advantage, Glory would be restrict to the ground whereas she could stay up in the sky and pound that stuck-up demonness with energy blasts. Eventually she drew herself to a stop at about the same height as the tallest building in the area came to an end and decided to wait here for the blast to come. She would let Glorificus get the first shot and then she would retaliate and show her nemisis what a real energy blast was like several times over in quick succession. Then once she had all but drained herself of energy she would let the others have their fun for a bit before she delivered the final shot that would end Glory's threat for good. She knew it seemed a bit wrong to treat this as if it were all some sort of game but she couldn't help herself, the entire battle and the emotions it induced seemed to change halfway through into something different. She had actually felt excited at the destruction she was creating and had experienced a strange urge to forget the stone warriors and go straight for Glory. However she had pushed such feelings and thoughts to the side and allowed her duties and responsibilities as a Slayey guide her actions. What this meant was that the safety of the innocent civilians, the dragonballs and more importantly those back at the Brief residence who didn't possess abilities with which to defend themselves. Now though with the civilians out of the way and the dragonballs being safely protected by Dawn and all the civilians being safely escorted away by Dawn and Tara there was nothing to do except stop Glory once and for all. With that knowledge the feelings of aggression and the need to test herself against the supposed hell goddess had returned and she decided to indulge herself this once.

After all it's not like I'm totally defenseless! She thought to herself as she waited for the blast to come her way.

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**_Undisclosed location, Same Time_**

**__**

**__**

"Wait......Wait........." Seven said to the talisman in front of him as he watched the events play out on the screen.

It was a tense moment that he had to endure and it was barely percievable that the units were tense as well as they waited for his command to fire. However they would wait because he required that they wait and they could not go against his commands no matter what they may want to do. However their thoughts and needs were all secondary in his mind at the moment as he watched the energy in the Beast's hand continue to grow both in size an brightness. This was the first hurdle in his plans to finally obliterate the Slayer line and the Saiyans who posed such a significant threat to his world. Once he got past this he could finally proceed to the more interesting and most likely more satisfying portions of his grand plan. Still he musn't get ahead of himself until the deed was done and it was only moments away when he would give the units the order to fire. Thus he waited, silently and patiently watching the hell-goddess Glorificus prepare her energy attack for use against the 'eldest' Slayer. Then, just as he was about to curse Glory for taking so long, it happened and he knew he had to give the order now.

"FIRE! NOW!" he ordered into the talisman as the red energy blast flew from Glory's hand towards Buffy Summers lighting up the sky as it went like a bright red sun.

However the glow of the blast from the TV screen was nothing compared to the light from the blast coming from the talisman.

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**_Kjolen Mountains, Norway, Same Time_**

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**__**

At that precise moment just as the sun was beginning to set in Norway a massive burst of light filled the sky making it seem almost like day again. Immediately following the blinding light the ground began to tremble and the tremors increased in maginitude with every passing moment until most citizens believed that they had a full fledged earthquake on their hands. Some of the more educated among them found this hard to believe as they knew full well that the boarders of the Eurasian plate was many kilometers to the south or to the west of them. Therefore it was technically impossibe for them to be experiencing an earthquake this far from its most likely focal points. Nevertheless the ground did shake violently and while many people had the sense to stay in doorways the rest of the populace were experiencing massive panic.

Then just as quickly as it began it ended and the both the fantastic light as well as the quaking in the ground disappeared. All appeared to be exactly as it had been mere moments ago and many were left wondering what had happened to bring about such an unnatural event. In the days ahead investigation teams would be sent into the Kjolen mountains, which was ascertained to be ground zero, to determine the cause. What they would find was a massive crater that took up almost an entire quarter of the mountain range and was deep enough to look like a dried up lake. That impressed a great many since there was nothing left of the mountains which had previously occupied this area and were among he largest in the world. Most would write it off as a terrorist group transporting a stolen nuke through the area with one of the said terrorists screwing up and setting it off by accident. None of the professionals though believed that because when they made a sweep with geiger-counters and the like there was barely any anomolous radiation in the area. At the ground zero of a nuke blast the entire area should be showing unusually high levels of radiation that would linger for weeks before dispersing.

Only a select few had any idea what really happened that evening and they would not be coming foreward to tell anyone because no one would believe that three artificial beings of incredible power were responsible for such destruction.

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**_Capsule Corps, Same Time_**

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**__**

Pain.

It is something that we all have had to deal with at one point or another whether in be mental, emotional or physical in nature. This sensation comes in many forms and can be inflicted in a multitude of different ways that are as great in number as there are nations in the world. They vary in intensity from the blinding pain of torture to the mild discomfort experienced by a person who has given themselves a paper cut. Whatever the case may be for each individual they are allowed some solace in the fact that in all but the most tragic of cases Fate spreads out these moments of pain over the course of an entire lifetime. This makes life just a little more bearable and allows for bits of happiness and pleasure to seep in between the scattered moments of pain. These moments of pain occur at set moments within a person's life as ordained by Fate and in most cases the plans of Fate cannot be altered by mortal man. 

This case however is different.

Buffy Summers had seen the blast coming from Glory well in advance and had percieved no difficulty in dodging the blast since she had been forced to deal with much worse training with Piccolo. However just as she was about to move to the side to dodge the blast her perceptions took a massive turn for the worse. Almost as if she could sense the clicking of the gears of Fate she could sense the change occuring but it was happening to fast for her to do anything but wait for it to happen. In the space of half a second Buffy's state went from eager anticipation at the conflict to come to agony unparalelled in the annals of recorded history. It was as if those multitude pain filled moments that had been spaced out by Fate had suddenly been scrunched up into one massive clump that hit her with a vengence. All conscious thought and emotion left her as her entire body, her entire mind and soul, were consumed by the pain leaving only it to exist. This horrendous pain was only compounded as mere moments later the blast that Glory had sent her way made contact with her, assaulting her with more pain and sending her flying away through the air. The only good thing about this entire event was that her energy field had been momentarily strengthened by the pain, this was most likely the only reason why she survived when she crashed into the ground just past the Capsule Corps building. She however was unaware of all this as her mind had long since ceased registering anything but the pain she was experiencing.

The eldest Slayer was not the only one who was enduring this torture for at the exact moment that it had assaulted her it attacked two others. One was Faith who had just reached the outskirts of Future city when it happened and who fared little better than her Slayer sister. She too was overwhelmed by the pain and it was only through the presence of Goku that she was caught before the loss of her ability to fly caused her to crash into a construction site. The other was Dawn who much like her sister was experiencing some conflict of her own as while Buffy was dealing with Glory she was dealing with the hell goddess' underlings. While appearing weak they actually were quite skilled in the ways of sorcery and were causing the youngest Summers some trouble in her mission to protect both her friends and the dragonballs. However all thoughts of such things left her as her being faced an onslaught of pain that almost immediately sent her crumpling to the ground. For her this was perhaps the worst, she was young and unlike the Slayers who had been trained to endure pain she was just a fifteen year old teenage girl. Only recently had she been shown the kind of pain that combat could bring about and even that was minimized thanks to the protection of her sister and her friends. Here though she had no such protection and was left to herself to deal with the pain that she was now forced to experience in all its horror. There was nothing she could do as the minions of Glory took advantage of her situation to grab the two dragonballs she had been protecting and before the others in the room could react they left in a flash of light associated with a teleport spell.

None of the Z-fighters or members of the Scooby gang could figure out what had happened or why their friends were in such terrible agony. All they could do was examine the three for wounds only to be further dumbfounded as there were none to be found or at least none to explain what they were viewing before them. The only telling change was found on Buffy Summers who was curled up in a fetal ball in the small trench her crash landing had created and that was only more puzzling. The small patch of dark black hair that had been carefully hidden beneath her blonde hair was not small anymore as in the space of a few moments, from the moment of the initial onslaught to the present, it had spread until a little over a third of her hair had been changed. What could this mean? What had happened here just now? These were the questions that flitting through the minds the collected warriors of good but no answers arose from this query. All that was present was the silence as Buffy shook with convulsions of pain and the two others afflicted mirror this act. All that could be said for certain was that everyone had a bad feeling about this and that matters were definitely worse no, worse for them and for the world.

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	9. The Plot Thickens

"Revelations, Repercussions and Robots Oh My!" by Shadow Master aka Ryley Breen

email: rybreen@theberries.ns.ca

Note: Sorry for taking so long with this chapter but I have been on a mad job hunt for the last couple of weeks and I had to help my sister move out of her apartment so I have been busy. Still, never fear, I fully intend to finish this fanfic so you need not worry that I'll just drop it like so many other authors have done with their own works. I enjoy writing and what's more I enjoy hearing about what you think of my writing. So for the foreseeable future my status as a fanfic writer is secure.

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**_Capsule Corps Infirmery, 8:00a.m_**

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**__**

"Any change Aunt Beru?" Bulma asked as she walked into the infirmery of Capsule Corps.

The older blonde haired woman across the room from her looked up from the test results she had been examining and the look she was wearing was not positive at all.

"I'm afraid not Bulma. If anything their condition seems to be getting worse." , Aunt Beru said with some puzzlement, "For the life of me I can't even determine exactly *what* is happening to them much less how to treat it! The most I've been able to do is give them a strong sedative to help lessen the pain for them."

"So you don't have any idea of what's happening to them?" Bulma asked hopefully.

"No, I have plenty of ideas but that's not enough to go on when you're talking about three persons' lives." Aunt Beru said with regret as she checked the readings on the machines monitoring the three young warriors' conditions.

"Okay then, call if you learn anything." Bulma said as she turned to leave.

"You'll be the first to know." Aunt Beru said solemnly.

Things were certainly not looking good and Bulma Breifs Vegita knew it all too well from the three shaking forms in the infirmery. In that room they had some of the best medical equipment in the city as well as access to the latest treatment data available. After all when you have a husband who nearly trains himself to death or a Father who blows himself up working on something every once and a while it pays to be prepared. However in this case it might not be enought to save the lives of three of her guests from America. From what Giles had said about this Glory person she had more than likely used some form of magic on Buffy and the others and if that was the case then modern medicine might not be able to help. That was why she was going to check on how the former Watcher and the others were doing in searching for an arcane solution. They were all wholed up in the living room looking through a few books that Giles had brought with him to help them defeat Glory. Fortunately since there were not a great deal of references to the hell goddess in his books they were looking at there were other topics that might be of help in there as well. Trunks, Goten and Pan were helping buts since they didn't know ancient languages the number of books they could look through were limited. Still all of them were determined to help cure the three young women although she had a sneaking suspicion that Goten and Trunks had one person in particular that they wanted to save.

Walking into the living room she saw that it had turned into a mini-library in her brief abscence with every table and most spare spaces on the floor covered by a book. Every other place was occupied by those doing the research none of whom had encouraging looks on their faces. Giles, Tara and Willow seemed to make up the core research group which made sense since all three had a working knowledge of sorcery. Xander, Anya, Trunks and Goten made up the second group, most of whom were looking through the english written texts but it seemed as though Goten was actually giving one of the other books a try. True he was probably just looking for pictures that looked like something useful but there was always the chance that he actually knew what he was reading. After all in the time since Maijin Buu Chi-Chi had leaned into Goten much like she used to lean on Gohan when it came to his studies so there was no telling what she was making him learn. In any case she wasn't about to stop him if it might help Buffy, Dawn and Faith get better.

"Any luck you guys?" Bulma asked hopefully.

"None thus far I am afraid." , Giles said as he briefly looked up from the dusty volume he was reading, "There are several spells that come close to matching what is happening to Buffy and the others but there are too many inconsistancies."

"It looks like it's a transformation spell of some kind but most of those finish up within seconds and the larger ones take months to do." , Willow said as she closed the book she had been reading and picked up a fresh one, "The pace of transformation that they're going through doesn't match anything we've read about so far and we're running out of books."

"Any luck with the medical prognosis?" Tara asked.

"No, Aunt Beru is doing the best she can but she is as much in the dark as you guys are right now." Bulma replied.

"Maybe we could go up to Kami's lookout and get Dende to come down and help them." Trunks suggested with a hopeful look.

"Maybe but that still leaves us with the problem of identifying the ailement that is afflicting Buffy and the others." , Giles pointed out with regret, "After all it is dangerous to treat someone without the slightest clue of what is happening to the patient."

"Argh! This is hopeless! By the time we figure out what's wrong with them they could be dead!" , Trunks growled in frustration with a look all to like his father's on his face, "I say we find Glory and take the dragonballs back from that witch!!"

Almost immediately after he said that a thought seemed to cross his mind and he looked over at Tara and Willow and said "No offense."

"None taken." Willow replied before going back to her book.

"While your idea does bear some merit Trunks there is still the problem of locating Glory and we're pretty much where we started in that respect." Giles commented in an attempt to turn this conversation into something useful.

"Well what if we just follow the trail her stone soldiers left behind them?" , Goten suggested innocently while he took a break from reading, "I mean they looked pretty heavy so they're bound to have left tracks of some kind that we could follow."

The room went dead quiet and for a moment the youngest son of Goku thought he had just made the stupidest suggestion ever.

Then Willow made a dive for the TV remote and immediately turned it on to the local news station which was still covering the events that occured after midnight. As luck would have it they were showing an aerial shot of the street that the golems had come down and sure enough there were indeed what appeared to be footprints in the ground for those who knew where to look. The news people were following a less subtle trail based on the destruction that Glory had caused on her way to Capsule Corps in an attempt to entertain herself and that trail ended once it reached the edge of the city. From there it seemed to stretch off into a rocky desert region where the tracks seemed to disappear as the shifting sands swept away any tracks. This bit of news seemed to pop the bubble of hope that they had hoped to possess and push some even deeper into a pit of hopelessness than before.

"Well so much for that idea." Xander said, disappointment clear in his voice.

"Maybe not ... " Giles said to himself as he picked up a book, seemingly at random and began to flip through it like mad.

This seemed to once again reignite the hopes of those in the room, especially the hope of those who knew him best and had the utmost confidence in his abilities involving dusty old books. It took him a few moments to find what he was looking for but when he did he sent their optimism shooting through the roof as a smile of success lit his features.

"We may have a way to find Glory after all." , he stated as he lay the book open on the table for all to see, "According to this the golems that Glory had with her were constructed from some very potent magicks, they were literally infused with the energy of life. However they were still just stone and so no matter what Glory's intentions it is very likely that bits and pieces of the golems fell off along the way here. If that is so then it should be possible to follow the trail of debris from the edge of the city straight to Glory's hideout."

"Well then what are we waiting for!?" , Trunks said as he jumped off the table and made for the door, "I'll get Dad and the others! Glory's going DOWN!"

"Willow get the orb of Distakos from that box over there as well as the blue bottle that's in there as well." Giles said as he looked through the piles of books for a few moments before picking up a smaller diary looking book up as well as his jacket.

"Right." Willow replied as she focused on her task.

"Tara I'm afraid that you'll have to stay here." Giles said as he finished putting on his jacket.

"Why?" asked the mystified wicca.

"Someone with a knowledge of sorcery needs to watch over Buffy and the others in case things take a turn for the worse." , Giles explained as he hoped for understanding on Tara's part, "It is entirely possible that Glory might try to harm Buffy, Dawn and Faith while we launch our assault so we need someone to act as a barrier. Do you understand?"

"Yeah." Tara replied although making it clear at the same time that she would much rather be going with them."

"Don't worry baby, we'll make sure to leave Glory bashing for you at the end." Willow said as she gave her girlfriend a light peck on the forehead before heading out the door.

"Xander, you and Anya stay put and continue to try and determine what type of spell Glory cast on Buffy and the others." , Giles said before going out the door, "If we fail to get any answers from Glory you may be Buffy's only hope."

"You can count on us G-Man!" Xander said although the way he said it was less than assuring.

With that said the dye was cast and with a bit of luck all would be resolved within the next few hours. However as the former Watcher might have realized had he not been so overcome with optimism was that luck was just the right or wrong combination of oppourtunity, preparation and confidence. They had the oppourtunity as was provided by Giles and confidence was not an issue to those so determined to save their friends but the strength of their preparations were most certainly in doubt. After all there were still bits of information that were lost to them and forces at work that they knew nothing about. Only time would tell whether or not these weaknesses would prove inconsequential or the keys to their eventual defeat at the hands of their enemies.

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**_Undisclosed Location, Seven's office, 8:15a.m_**

*knock, knock, knock*

"Come in Nine." Seven said before taking another long drag from his cigarette.

The door opened and admitted the second most influential member of this rogue group of Watchers. He did not have quite the arcane knowledge or power that Seven did but he did have a knack for strategy and he had the respect of the rest of the agents present in the building. That made him very valuabe to Seven but also very dangerous should his dedication to the cause waver or fail entirely. Still there was no sign of that at the moment and hopefully that would not happen before the final phase of the plan was already underway. Once it began Seven would have no further need of the others and could proceed on without them to claim his destiny and assure the safety of this world. For the moment he would play everything close to the chest and monitor matters carefully for anomolies and other things that might cause problems.

"Our operative from inside the Capsule Corps building has confirmed that S-4542, S-4543 and anomoly K have all been incapacitated and are entering stage one of the process." , Nine stated with all the professionalism of a government agent, "The others are on the trail of the Beast and believe her to be the source of the affliction of said Slayers and anomoly. Just as you planned Seven."

"Of course, they have no reason to suspect anyone else was involved. Nor will they find the 'cure' that they are so desperately looking for at the Beast's lair." , Seven said as he steepled his hands, "This waste of time will ensure that the Slayers remain ill and distracted until the time comes for the endgame to be played. Perhaps we will even be so fortunate as to find that one of our targets has been eliminated by Glorificus. In any case, on to other matters, what is the status on our misguided bretheren?"

Nine knew that Seven was not referring to the others that occupied the building but rather the main body of Watchers that they had left to pursue their own agenda. He expected that they were all a flutter at the moment trying to figure out what was going on and what they would do about it. By now they no doubt had a full team of operatives combing the crater in Norway trying to find out what had happened even though those in the higher echelons of the Council no doubt had suspicions already. One most certainly believed it was him and was merely waiting for the evidence to be found to support his scenario so that he could attempt to take action. Action however that would be long in coming and be terribly inadequete when they finally decided on something. That was the one thing he had come to despise during his time among the inner circle, they were so weak and secretive in their decision making capabilities. So concerned they were for keeping their anonymity from the rest of the world that they spent endless hours debating various courses of action and when they made their decision it was as strong as a house of cards. Such problems would keep One from taking any serious action for quite a while and by the time he made it through all the red tape it would be too late. The report he recieved from Nine confirmed this and went on to relate a series of meaningless facts concerning the investigating Watcher's progress.

"Yes, yes, but the important thing is that they still have no idea what our master plan is and for the moment that is the way it must remain." , Seven stated with a wave of his hand, "Instruct our agents in the society to continue monitoring activities in Norway but to also keep a close eye on One. With all the protocol involved in an incident like this it is unlikely that he will be able to stop us but it is best to be cautious just in case."

"Yes sir." Nine replied without changing position.

"How goes our little scavenger hunt?" Seven asked with mild curiousity.

"The three you assigned to the task are homing in on the stray item you asked them to find and anticipate aquisition within the hour." Nine repplied efficiently.

"Good. Once they have aquired the item we can move on to phase two of our operation and proceed accordingly." Seven stated as he turned his chair away from Nine.

"Forgive me for saying so sir but do you think it is wise to ally ourselves with them? Their volatile nature could prove to be a problem and could seriously compromise our mission." Nine stated inquisitively.

"Do not worry Nine, I have planned for that possibility as well and I assure you if our future allies become a problem they will be dealt with swiftly and severely." Seven replied with a tone that brooke no arguement.

"Yes sir." stated Nine in surrender.

"Now begin preparations concerning our coastal agents." Seven ordered.

"Immediately." Nine replied before turning and leaving the room.

Soon. Soon the abominations will be no more and nothing will be able to stop me from determining the destiny of this world. Seven thought as he lifted his cigarette to his mouth.

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**_Undisclosed location, Great Britain, 11:00p.m (local time)_**

"... and we have completed our preliminary examination of the crater and regret to inform you that nothing salvagable remains." , the plain clothed man stated at the center of the large room, "The mages we brought with us could do nothing to restore the capsules or any of the talismans the demon possessed."

"Thank you for your report Watcher Stevenson, you may go now." said One from his position at the mid-point of the horseshoe like table.

With that said the man nodded his head in a salute of sorts before turning around and leaving the room to attend to the menial paper work that went along with such assignments. If he could sense the tension in the room though he would have been overjoyed that he had managed to get out of there in one piece. The various members of the inner circle of the Watcher council were all tightly strung at the moment as the news they had recieved placed their entire mission in jepordy. Only the inner circle knew of the significance of the demon that had lived in the Kjolen mountains or even why the Watchers society would want anything to do with such a foul demon. However it was a secret that none could be allowed to know lest their dedication to the group falter or change to outright opposition in the blink of an eye. Those of the inner circle who remained however understood the necessity of the demon and what it meant to their order but now it was gone and they had to pick up the pieces.

"This is terrible! What are we going to do now!?" exclaimed Four who was clearly upset and was not ashamed of letting everyone else know it.

"Calm down Four, panicking will not get us anywhere." Eight said in an attempt to calm down his collegue.

"Quite right. Still we must work quickly if we are to prevent this situation from getting any worse." Two stated grimly as the cogs of his mind began to turn.

"The obvious thing to do first is apprehend those repsonsible for the destruction in the first place." , Three stated with annoyance, "I don't think I need to state who I believe is responsible for this travesty."

"No you do not. We all agree that Seven and the rogues that went with him are the culprits. They are the only ones who could have known how much this would hurt us and what it would do to our field units." , One stated in a manner that indicated a great weight had been placed on his shoulders, "I had hoped that we would have been given more time to prepare for his rebellious acts but clearly he was more prepared than we gave him credit. The question is where did he get the power to disintegrate an entire mountain and can he perform such a feat of destruction a second time."

"All inquiries at our warehouses came back negative when they first disappeared but after this I am beginning to think that those reports were not entirely accurate." , Six stated with suspicion, "I will go myself to section 9 myself and inspect the inventory to see if my suspicions prove true. I should be able to assess the situation and be back in only a few hours."

"Good. With the 'how' part taken care of we must now look to the issue of what Seven's grand plan is and what we can do to stop it." One said as he stroke his snow white beard.

"I would think that it is rather obvious what he intends to do, destroy our ancient secret and anything attached to it." Ten stated making it clear that he thought the matter was painfully obvious.

"No, I think that there is more to this than we realise. If all he had wanted to do was that why did he wait so long before acting? He could have done this within a week of leaving this circle but instead he chose to wait until now." , One said with concern beginning to filter into his voice, "There is something more going on and we must take action quickly before it is to late."

"What do you think we should do?" asked Three who seemed to have his own ideas about One and his proposed action.

"I believe it may be time to expose the secret to all concerned parties." One stated as he carefully looked about the room to gauge everyone's reactions.

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Three.

"Impossible!" declared Five.

"Out of the question!" stated Ten.

Similar responses echoed around the table and only two and eight seemed to hold their thoughts in check which was all that One could hope for under the current circumstances.

"Have you gone *mad* One? You would reveal a secret that has been kept for over seven thousand years!?" Eight asked with disbelief in his voice.

"It has already been unearthed thanks to Seven's actions and I doubt it will take long for it to be deciphered once the change nears completion." , One answered as he began to explain himself, "However I believe it would be to our benefit to aide in the transition since it would undoubtabley upset whatever timetable Seven has in place. If nothing else it might earn a small manner of respect in the eyes of the units and their aquaintences which could lead to reconciliation. You know that solidarity of that sort will be important when the End of Days arrives."

"I think you overestimate their intelligences One. The units' friends may be clever but I doubt even they would be able to uncover the entire truth on their own." , Four stated, "As for Seven I believe that it is too early to be making any sort of plans at the moment. Until we learn more about Seven and the other rogues any success we may inspire would be random at best and possibly even costly. As for the End of Days I believe that the units will have little choice but to return to us when the chaos begins for we have the knowledge they will need."

"Perhaps." One stated in a neutral voice.

"On that note I submit that we should adjourn this meeting until Six returns from his inspection." , Four proposed as he looked at his comrades, "The whole we serve, the whole we protect!"

"The whole we serve, the whole we protect!" chanted the others in unison.

With that the group began to disperse but One remained at his chair, in deep though and introspection if the way he was stroking his beard was any hint. He had made his proposal to the inner circle of the council and while he had hoped that the report given by agent Stevens would change their minds he wasn't surprised when they rejected his idea. They had all been taught in the way of tradition but only he had been around long enough to know that tradition should serve only as a guidepost rather than a rule. Seven's actions had thrown everything into chaos and as such had caused the other members of the inner circle to tighten their grip on tradition as a drowning man would a life preserver. He however knew that times were changing and that unless they changed along with them the Watchers Council would crumble and all they had built would fall with them. The time had come for him to make perhaps the most important choice of his life and at that moment he did not know what he would choose to do in the end.

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**_Capsule Corps, Living Room, Noon_**

**__**

**__**

"This *bites*!" Trunks said as the group of warriors, wiccas and one former Watcher entered the room.

"That just about says it all." Willow said in agreement as she set the armful of books she had discovered back at Glory's hideout onto the table with the rest.

"So I take it by this vocal expression of frustration that the search and destroy was a bust." Xander said as he edged away from Trunks, Goten and the others towards the safest place in the room at the moment.

"We definitely found where Glory had been holed up in but there was no one there when we arrived." , Giles explained as he took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose, "The only moderately positive thing was that they seemed to have left in a hurry and forgot to take a few things along with them."

"That and the fact that she hadn't rigged the place with explosives like back in Sunnydale." Tara stated in an attempt to make the good things outweigh the bad.

"Didn't really need 'em thanks to Vegita." Krillin mumbled.

"What was *that* cueball!?" Vegita yelled as he turned on the only warrior smaller than himself.

"*Yipe* .. N-n-nothing Vegita!" Krillin replied with more than a little worry in his voice.

"Coward! I'm going to train. This time don't interrupt me unless you have something better!" Vegita declared before leaving the room.

"Is it just me or does he still have a bit of an anger management problem?" Xander rhetorically asked everyone in the room.

"I've tried to teach him a few relaxation techniques but they never quite seem to work." Goku said with mild disappointment.

"His idea of relaxing is pounding some halfwit demon into silly putty." Krillin stated humorously.

"True, physical venting of negative emotions does seem to calm him better than just about anything else but it's getting harder and harder for him to find a demon that'll last more than a few seconds." Goku stated as he scratched his chin is puzzlement.

"While I'm sure how to divert Vegita's destructive tendencies away from helpless humans is important can we please return to the task at hand?" Giles asked with a slightly dazed expression on his face.

Willow took this as her cue as she picked out a book from the pile they had aquired from Glory's and said "Well I did manage to find out how she was looking for the dragonballs."

This immediately managed to bring everyones' attention to the redhaired wicca which she wasn't entirely sure she wanted. Still she had said something important so she guessed it was time to back it up with something before she looked like a complete idiot.

"Apparently she was using a modified version of a scrying spell to home in on the dragonballs based on their temporal significance." Willow explained to more than a few non-comprehending faces.

"... And in english that means what?" Xander said for everyone who wanted to ask but couldn't for sake of pride.

"The dragonballs play a very important part in the events of this world, they've literally been responsible for many gigantic events both good and evil." , Willow said as she mentally rolled her eyes at the lack of intelligence some of these people had, "Therefore Glory used her scrying spell to look into the future to see where someone else would find it since it would be significant event and just get there before them."

"Then why doesn't Glory already have all the dragonballs right now?" Goten asked with interest.

"Well there are many reasons but it comes down to someone having to desire the specific dragonball she's after so if they're destined to find it Glory will be able to see them finding it in advance." , Willow explained like she had heard Ms. Calender explain computor stuff to Giles, "Then of course there is the standard limit on how far in the future a scrying spell can look so she's probably finding them as fast as she can."

"Is there anything in there about what she might have done to Buffy and the others?" Anya asked with mild curiousity.

"Unfortunately no which is strange because usually a spell that is designed to attack three people at once requires some prior planning." , Giles replied with more than a little frustration, "I can only assume that her status as a qausi-hell-goddess allows her to skip such mortal constraints."

"In other words we're back where we started this whole mess this morning?" Xander asked with disbelief.

No one even bothered to answer that question since the answer was painfully clear. All of them felt a certain degree of frustration at the current situation and everyone wished that The Powers That Be would cut them just a little bit of slack. Was it too much to ask that they be given even the beginnings of a way to help their friends overcome whatever was causing them so much pain? Did the Fates decide to deal them all useless roles in the events that would transpire in the next few days? In the minds and souls of everyone in the world there is at least some belief that they are in control of their own destinies and that if they don't like what's coming they can change it. However it is during times like these that they are shown that there is a limit to how far they can alter the path their destinies will take. In some cases in all their lives when they have been made to realise that some things simply must be, despite their wish for matters to be otherwise. Only time would tell how everything would play out for Buffy, Dawn, and Faith. About the only thing that the group could say with certainty at the moment was that at least they had been granted this brief respite from their tasks.

Just then, without warning, an object came flying through the living room window shattering glass before slamming into the floor, skidding and bumping into the couch so hard it almost tipped it over even with the people sitting on it. Almost at once, some faster than others, everyone moved to see what had broken their moment of calm and when that question was answered by their eyes they wished they had not seen it. Lying unconscious on the floor with his clothes in tatters and injuries clearly showing up on his body was the noble warrior Piccolo. Cuts, bruises and burns were visible everywhere and it was clear that whoever had done this outclassed the Namek in virtually every way possible. That in itself was frightening considering that ever since Piccolo had fused with both Nail and Kami he had become one of the most powerful warriors on the planet. Even though he was nowhere near as strong as Goku, Vegita or Gohan were Piccolo could still hold his own against just about any type of opponant. What worried most of them in particular was what did this mean for the rest of them? Piccolo had gone missing about a week or two before Buffy and her freinds showed up and no one had been able to find him despite the most diligent searches. That usually meant that Piccolo did not want to be found and was activily avoiding them when they searched. All of these things were going through the minds of those present and of all those there Xander had the phrase that nicely framed it all.

"Man, when it rains it *POURS*!" Xander said with more than a little bit of anger at God who seemed to think they could use a little more bad news.

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**_England, Same Time_**

**__**

**__**

*knock, knock, knock*

"Come in" said the old man from his hunched over position at an old looking desk.

The door opened in compliance and a good looking young man strode it with a look on his face that hinted that he was rather uneasy about being called here. That was understandable given who he was and who had requested his prescence at this juncture. Still he was able to keep his composure for the most part making it look as though this was just another visit that was no more interesting to him then the last one. There was no sense in jumping the gun when there was no need and he preferred to wait before making any rash decisions. After closing the door and locking it he approached the old man and came to a stop a few respectful paces away to wait until his prescence was acknowledged. It seemed like hours passed before the old man finally stopped what he was doing and turned around to face his expected guest.

"I am glad you were able to come with such speed old friend." , the Old Man stated, "We don't have a great deal of time left to us so I must make this little meeting brief. I have an assignment for you that is completely 'under the table' as they say."

"Does this have anything to do with the storm of activity that has come over HQ?" the young man asked.

"Yes, in fact it is at the very heart of it. The rogues have seriously destablized the very foundation of our organization, threatening to send it crashing down around us." the old man stated gravely.

"You mean the-" the younger man began before he was cut off by a wave of the older man's hands.

"Yes. The others are hesitant to step away from the old status quo and foolishly believe that the old way can be repaired and preserved despite the damage that has been done." , the old man said with mild anger at those who followed this line of thinking, "I however have a different opinion and you are the only one I trust to help me carry it out satisfactorily."

With that the man went over to a large and old safe that was tucked away in the corner of the room and immediately began to turn the dial and enter the combination. It took a while but eventually the last of the tumblers fell into place and with a turning of the handle the door of the safe opened to expose the contents inside for all to view. The contents themselves varied, some being scrolls while others were various metallic objects of various forms but by far the largest of the safe's contents was a large but ancient metal box. It was that box that the old man lifted from its place in the safe and brought it over to the young man before setting it down gently in front of him. The box was ancient, that was clear from its appearance and the way it had apparently been crafted, and it seemed to exude an ancientness that few objects in the world produced. The language inscribed on it was nearly indecipherable and only a select few had any idea how to read it. This was not only because it was ancient but also because it was not of this world, it belonged to a race of beings that had once existed far from this world in more ways than one. With such mystery clearly present on the surface it was no doubt a temptation for the young man to reach down and take a look inside. However his respect for the old man prevented this and so he waited to see what the significance of all this was and why he had been summoned.

"I require you to leave for the Future City at once and deliver this box and its contents to the field units." , the old man explained, "You are free to examine the contents of this box so long as you do it in a safe environment and make sure that all the items reach their intended reciever."

"Are you certain this is wise sir? If this is what I believe it to be your position in the Council could be seriously compromised if not destroyed utterly." , the young man said with concern, "Not even your most dedicated supporters would stand by you when news of this came out."

"I know full well what will happen when the others find out but there is no other way to resolve the situation properly." , the old man stated as he walked over to a window and looked out, "This secret like all secrets was bound to be revealed someday. Despite the reservations of my collegues I believe now is the time for the truth to be known and for old deceptions to be moved to the side. That is part of the reason I asked for you in particular to come here, because I know I can trust you to see this assignment through to the end."

"What makes you so certain that I can succeed in this mission? It won't take long for the others to find out what you have done and then they'll be on me like nobodies business." , the young man stated with noticable worry, "I doubt I'll be even able to get to Future City before I have an unfortunate accident along the way."

"I have no doubt because you are not like other men my friend." , the old man said with a grin coming over his features, "Yes I know of your secret but do not worry, it is one I will take to my grave."

"Why you sneaky old goat!" , the young man said in disbelief, "Fine. I'll deliver this package for you but you owe me big time for this!"

"Keep safe Pierce and be sure to keep your head." the old man stated as the young man known as Pierce picked up the box with both arms.

"I will if you will O' Connel." Pierce said humerously before opening the door and leaving.

"I'll try old friend, I'll try." muttered Old man O' Connel as he took a bottle of Scotch from the drawer of a table next to the window where he was standing.

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	10. Things take wicked turn!

Note: IÕm sorry for taking so long to update this story and add a new chapter but I have been so busy with finding and keeping my new fall job that when I get home I am just not in the mood for writing fanfics. Still I did manage to get some work done, enough to send this new chapter out to you. Hope you like itÉÉ

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**_Capsule Corps, 12:30p.m_**

**__**

**__**

It took a bit longer than it usually did but eventually the effects of the senzu bean did indeed heal Picollo enough that he was able to regain consciousness. He was still sore but he had lived through worse during his lifetime and this was almost not worth mentioning by comparison. When he opened his eyes his vision was covered with the faces of people he knew well and others whom he wasn't quite as familiar with as he was with the others. The most prominent was Trunks and Goten who were down on their knees next to him while the others merely stood nearbye. Pushing himself up using his arms he managed to get into a sitting position but when he attempted to get to his feet he found that despite the restorative powers of the senzu bean he still had a bit of recovery ahead of him.

"Easy Picollo, you're still pretty banged up." Trunks said as he and Goten helped him over to a chair that Giles had vacated for him.

It didn't exactly improve his condition all that much but at least he could be a bit more comfortable while his body healed itself. His current physical maladies though were not the focus of his thoughts though, no he was focused more on those that had inflicted them upon him. He was still feeling a little light headed at the moment but he could still recall the more important moments of the fight. He had been searching around the mountain region where he had left Gohan to survive all those years ago and when he had finally located what it was he sought after he had been attacked. He hadn't even sensed the approach of his adversaries and had barely managed to get a defense up in time before the powerful blows started raining down on him. What happened in the time that followed angered him greatly but also caused great concern to grow inside of him.

"What happened Picollo?" Gohan asked his former sensei as the hybrid tried to determine what was going on inside the Namek's head.

"Hmph! Isn't it obvious!? The Namek got his ass kicked." Vegita said from his position in the corner.

That earned the Saiyan Prince the customary scowl of disapproval before they all turned back to the injured warrior.

"We've been trying to locate you for the past few days Picollo to tell you about the danger. Where've you been?" Goku asked in his usual straightforeward manner.

"Sorry about staying out of sight but I've been aware of Glory a lot longer than you have." , Picollo said in apology or at least as close as he comes to giving one, "I thought it best that I stay away from you guys since it was a safe bet that you were being watched."

"WHAT?!" everyone said almost at the same time.

"Yeah. As guardian of the Earth Kami kept a close eye on those entities that he felt might pose a problem in the future and Glory was one of them." , Piccolo replied as he drew on the memories of his so-called better half, "Most of the previous guardians did as well since if she were to ever acheive her goal it would most certainly be a problem for the entire planet. Unfortunately when I merged with Kami I lost track of her but was able to recognise the signs of her prescence when the first few mentally unstable people began to show up at the hospitols."

"For a moment I wondered why she had come here when according to all sources the Key was somewhere in Europe or America." , Piccolo said as his tone turned grim, "It didn't take long for me to put two and two together and figure out that she was after the dragonballs. After all why look for a key that you don't know how to locate when you can grab the dragonballs with a piece of technology or a decent spell. With that in mind I was determined to find at least one of the dragonballs as soon as possible since without it the others would be useless."

"So did you manage to find one?" Willow said from her spot on the couch.

"Yeah but I was attacked on my way back here." Picollo replied in a tone that made it clear his pride had been hurt by how he had faired in the fight.

"Some of Glory's goons?" queried Trunks who was surprised that anyone outside of Maijin Buu could have inflicted this kind of damage on someone like Picollo.

"Not unless she recently became an expert in robotics." , Picollo replied with a concerned frown on his face, "They were androids."

This absolutely floored everyone in the room as they remembered the initial appearance of androids powerful enough to beat the crap out of Picollo. It had been around eighteen years ago when the Trunks from the alternate timeline had come to warn them all about the virus that Goku would contract and the killer androids that would appear in three years. He had said that the killer androids would appear in three years on a small island a few miles south of South City and go on a rampage that would claim the lives of all of the Z-team except Gohan. All those who heard the story trained long and hard in the three years they had been given and when the day came they all hoped that it would be enough to combat the seemingly unstoppable threat. It had been a rough time but in the beginning it seemed as though their hard work had paid off as one of the two androids had been destroyed and the other had been moderately damaged. It seemed that all that was required was a mop-up operation but when the Trunks from the future arrived on the battlefield and informed them that the androids they had faced were not the ones that ravaged his time it had started a whole new series of battles and surprises. From the true terrible androids 17 and 18 to the giant android 16 and culminating in the monster Cell and the three forms he possessed. Fortunately thanks to Gohan unlocking the sleeping power within him Cell was defeated and a seven year period of peace was allowed to begin. To hear now that androids were once again in the picture and powerful enough to cause Picollo trouble was both disturbing and shocking.

"Androids?! Are you certain?" Android 18 asked in a stunned voice as she recalled what she had once been.

"No question about it. I managed to wing one of them with an energy blast but that was about all I could do." the Namek replied with a grimace, "They were definitly faster and stronger than you and 17 had been but that wasn't the major difference. They had a whole new bag of tricks to use on me this time and looked more like magic that science. They seemed to be able to teleport vast distances in the blink of an eye and become as intangible as ghosts whenever I tried to hit them."

"Hmph! I bet if I had been there those androids wouldn't have been so much trouble!" Vegita said in contempt for his pointy eared comrade's powers and skills.

"I doubt it Vegita." , Picollo stated as he ignored the Saiyan's jab at his abilities, "These androids weren't even trying very hard and still they were beating me. In any case by the time they were through with me they had the dragonball I had found and would have finished me off if I hadn't caught them off guard with Tien's solar flare technique. Still, I barely managed to get here in time before my body just gave out."

"So now we have a third player out there who apparently has a group of androids on his, her or it's side and they are strong enough to handily defeat a twice fused Namek." , Xander said with his anxiety clearly written on his face, "Can I just take this moment to say that this is not good, heck it's a quick skip from being a catastrphy!"

"Not necessarily." Giles said from his position in the room, a speculative look on his face.

"Huh?!" stated Goten who pretty much summed up the mindsets of everyone else in the room.

"Well we know that these androids are not in the employ of Glory or by now we would be seeing the sky turn black and a storm starting to brew." , Giles explained as he took his glasses off and cleaned them, "It is also a fair guess to say that she won't be getting it anytime soon since the leader of this third party seems determined to keep that dragonball to himself. This buys us a little time to work out a plan since it will most likely be awhile before he or Glory are able to complete their set or even encounter one another."

"You got a plan G-Man?" Xander asked with hope in his usual 'we are *so* doomed' voice.

"Not really. I just thought it proper to point out that we shouldn't lose all hope just yet." Giles replied in a perfectly calm tone of voice.

This almost caused everybody in the room to fall over in disbelief but fortunately they had built up something of a resistance to this sort of thing so they only looked at the former Watcher like he had suddenly sprouted two small horns on his forehead. Once they regained their composure they all agreed that Giles was right, there was still hope and it was up to them to make that hope grow as fast as it could with their efforts. After all as both the Scoobies and the Z-Team knew all too well that if Mr. Murphy was listening in on their conversation anything that could go wrong *would* go wrong sooner rather than later.

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**__**

**_Undisclosed Location, Seven's Office, 1:00p.m_**

Ahhh, it is so wonderful when a plan falls so neatly into place." Seven thought as he looked at the dragonball he held in his hand.

The androids had returned from their mission to retrieve one of the dragonballs only a short while ago and further pleased him when they stated that they had disposed of the Namek Piccolo. One less non-earther to worry about but the namek was of little concern since he was no longer what one could call a major threat anymore. No only the Saiyans could be regarded in such a manner since their innate ability to get stronger after every battle made them the most dangerous of all threats. Still his androids could handle them if they showed, if only for a brief period of time, and if they were destroyed it was of no consequence since they were only machines. Now that he had this the hell goddess could not make her wish and thus the Earth was saved from whatever ravages she might unleash in fulfilling her desires. It would be soon time to enact the third portion of his plan and it was going to be tricky to say the least given the unstable nature of the target. Still with a little scheming and some preparation he was certain that the witch wouldn't see his true intentions until it was too late. Just then a knock came from the door to his office and while annoyed at this interruption he knew that it had to be Nine since he was the only one of his followers who dared approach this room.

"Come in Nine." Seven said as he placed the dragonball in a box on his desk and locked it shut.

The door opened rather quickly and once it had completed its motion Seven could clearly see an upset Nine standing there with his eyes speaking of trouble. This caused Seven to become concerned as his second in command did not fluster easily and that was one of the reasons he was chosen for the position. He was a calm mind amid this dangerous storm and Seven had always felt that he could count on the man no matter what to keep him in perspective. To see him so upset meant that something serious had happened that might alter their plans significantly or perhaps even destroy them.

"What is it Nine?" Seven asked as he tried to remain calm for his comrade.

"Sir I just recieved news from our supporters still inside the Watcher's Council and they say that the *box* has been removed from the vault!" Nine stated with his voice almost showing panic.

Seven felt his concern mirrored in his own body but he did a better job concealing it than his comrade. The box was one of the most guarded artifacts in the Watchers' possession and held the key to their origins among other things that every inner circle had tried to keep hidden from all but the most trusted members. It had been the contents of this chest that had shaped his view of the world since becoming a member of the inner circle, it was the very reason he had set himself on the course that lay before him. To hear that it was no longer there added a new chaos element that might seriously destablize his plans to say the least but at the moment his mind hunted for the answers to the questions that plagued his mind. He knew that there was no way that the inner circle of the Watcher's council would have voted to remove the box from it's hiding place. After all why remove it unless you intended to disclose their contents to someone and they would not be inducting new members into the inner circle so soon. That left only the Slayers themselves and this the council would most definitley not permit as it would cost them the one advantage they had over their former charges. The situation made no sense to him whatsoever and that was something he most definitely did not like since it was in his nature to be in control of his environment.

"Does the Council have any suspects?" Seven asked in a cautious tone of voice.

"Not as yet but whoever it was managed to remove the box without setting off any of the wards or protective spells." , Nine replied as his own mind attempted to comprehend matters, "That would seem to indicate that the person was either an accomplished sorcerer or a member of the inner circle itself."

It was with that last sentence from his comrade that the answers came into Seven's mind and against his better judgement he was forced to smile in respect at his now revealed adversary. It was now clear to him who had removed the box and what he intended to do with it but the only question that remained was how he planned to do it. Using magic would be too detectable to both himself and his fellow members of the inner circle so that meant sending it by more conventional means.

"Sir? Is somthing the matter?" Nine asked with concern as he looked at his smiling leader.

"No. I have just realised who is repsonsible for the removal of the box." , Seven said as he activated his computor and began looking at various boat and plane schedules, "It was One."

"What!? Impossible! He would never go against the ruling of the inner circle." , Nine exclaimed in denial, "They just recently ruled against his motion that they reveal its contents to the Slayers."

"He would not let that stop him. Once he sets his mind on something he stays with it through until the end." , Seven said as the list on the screen got smaller and smaller, "What we need to focus on for the moment is how he intends to get the box to the Slayers and how soon we can expect his courier to arrive."

"You believe he has dispatched some agent of the Watchers Council to deliver the box?" Nine asked as he tried to follow his leader's train of thought.

"Yes and I believe I have determined the most likely places where the agent would attempt to enter Future City." , Seven said as the computer finished printing the list, "Send at least five of our agents to each location and tell them to keep on the look out carrying something that could be a large metal box. It shouldn't be hard to find someone lugging around a large box with the intention of not being noticed."

"Yes sir." , Nine replied as he took the list and prepared to carry out his orders but at the last minute he stopped and turned, "Sir, shouldn't we send an android to each location as well? We have no idea whom we will be dealing with and the agent might be too much for out comrades to handle."

"No, I have something else in mind for them." , Seven replied dismissively, "Besides it is probably just some lowley green recruit who was awestruck that the famous One had a mission for him."

"I suppose." Nine said as he turned and left the room.

Admirable try One but you will not stop me from carrying out my mission! Seven said as he tapped a cigarette from its pack.

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**_Capsule Corps Infirmery, 1:45p.m_**

**__**

**__**

I'm sorry kid. Picollo thought towards his former pupil.

It hurt him to see them like this and it hurt even more that there was nothing he could do to make things better. In the years since he had come into being he had become a formidable warrior. Not up to the same level as Goku or any of the other Saiyans but he still had his moments and that made up for any lack of power. To know that he could do so much and yet do nothing right now was almost unbearable but for the sake of Buffy and the others he would hold his anger in check. From what Bulma and the others had told him Glorificus had hit Buffy with some sort of spell blast that affected not only the elder Slayer but also Faith and Dawn as well. Bulma's Aunt Beru said that they seemed to be undergoing some sort of transformation but that she couldn't tell what they were turning into or when the process would be complete. Until they got a better idea of what they were up against all they could do was keep the three young warriors as comfortable as possible and hope for the best. That of course was just another way of saying that they were helpless but everyone wanted to feel as though they were accomplishing something.

Whether or not they had time to really accomplish anything helpful was unknown as the agenda's and plans of their enemies were vague at best. Glory was the more clear of the two since she was somewhat single-minded when it came to her objectives, feed periodically and find the Key. Anything else was just an offshoot of that to some degree or another and that made her somewhat more predictable than the mystery group that he had discovered for himself. All they knew about this unknown actor was that he had access to Dr. Gero's schematics for the Androids from which he/she/it had made at least three of them and that the group had one of the dragonballs. What this person or this group wanted with the dragonball was unknown and that made them dangerous since it limited their ability to factor them into any strategies. All they could do was hope that something would occur that would make things clearer for them before the final confrontation began with Glory. 

Fighting a battle on two fronts would not be a good thing. Picollo thought as his frown deepened.

Just then he felt a sharp power spike in his immediate area but it was so primal and unfocused that he was having difficulty narrowing it down to a specific spot. That however was soon fixed as the various medical machinery began to make odd noises and some that even began to spark and sizzle. All the machines that were currently hooked up to Buffy, Dawn and Faith were going haywire and the ladies themselves seemed to be experiencing an ever increasing amount of pain. Their faces were twisting into contortions of agony that only seemed to grow worse with each passing moment. Add to that the fact that they were beginning to strain against their restraints and it didn't take a genius to see that the excrement was about to hit the fan. Not wasting a moment Picollo raced to the intercom next to the door and hit the button he had been told to use if there was any change in the trio's condition.

"Yes? What is it Picollo?" Aunt Beru said from the intercom.

"Get down here quick! Something is happening to Buffy and the others and it does not look good!" Picollo replied as he took a quick look back at the beds.

"I'm on my way!" Aunt Beru said as sounds of someone in a rush filled the background.

Almost as an afterthought Picollo said "You might want to get Goku and Vegita in here as well!"

"Why?" Aunt Beru asked in a puzzled manner.

"Because I don't think that the restraints on those kids are going to last much longer!" Picollo replied before he cut-off the connection.

Turning his full attention to the problem at hand Picollo was shocked to see that matters had worsened more than he expected since he had last taken full stock of the situation. The machines hooked up to the patients were now completely fried and the metal restraints were showing signs of weakening. Not wanting to picture what might happen if they gave way Picollo made a quick decision that he hoped he was able to carry out. Brining his power level up he prepared his body and once ready he immediately performed the split-form technique which resulted in two Picollo's being present in the room. Not waiting for the duplication to settle both Picollos positioned themselves between each of the beds and used all the strength they could muster to restrain the patients. He knew all to well that a delerious warrior with control of their energy could do and he couldn't risk Buffy and the others harming themselves as well as others by accident. As soon as they both touched the ill warriors they knew they would not be able to hold out for very long as the energy in each of them was surging upwards. Minute by minute they were getting stronger and it would only be a matter of minutes before they were too strong for him to even be near. Still he would hold out for as long as he could and hope that Goku and Vegita got here soon to take his place.

It was like trying to keep a dam in one piece when cracks were forming everywhere you looked and Picollo was beginning to feel the strain after five minutes. It was taking all he had to maintain the strength needed to keep the girls still and it was only getting more difficult as time wore on. Fortunately it was at that time that the door was flung open and Aunt Beru entered followed by the two Saiyans he had requested. All three were aghast at what they were seeing and feeling but there was no time for that so Picollo had to snap them out of it right away.

"If you three are done gawking I could use some help here!" snapped Picollo in frustration as he felt his hold on the girls beginning to give way.

Nothing needed to be said about what type of help each needed to provide as both Vegita and Goku helped Picollo in restraining the three young women while Aunt Beru tried to diagnos their conditions. With the two Saiyans there to help him Picollo quickly reintegrated his other and focused on trying to keep Dawn from hurting herself. This only marginally improved the situation as he was now able to utilize his full power rather than only half of it as was the case when using the split-form technique. Even with that much power Dawn's rising power still required a stern discipline to keep in check and he could feel that the others were beginning to get a feel for the situation as well. Beru was running around the lot of them trying to get a handle on her part of the job but with every electrical piece of equipment shorting out before she could reach the beds and all others randomly falling apart it wasn't looking good. She tried to give Buffy a sedative to ease her pain but the needle shattered in Beru's hands before it could even break the skin.

"There's nothing I can do for them now!" , Beru exclaimed as the second needle of sedative went the way of the first, "You three will just have to hold them until this episode passes."

"That's not going to be easy!" , Goku said as he raised his own power level to keep up with Buffy's, "Their power is growing exponentially and it's not going to be long before I have to go Super Saiyan to maintain my hold on Buffy."

"Having trouble Kakarot? I'm finding it quite easy to hold onto this one." Vegita boasted but everyone could tell he was feeling the strain as well.

It was then, in that moment of distraction, that the proverbial hammer was dropped as all three patients' power levels jumped over the top. Unprepared for this sudden increase in power the three warriors and one Doctor were thrown back against the walls of the room with Goku protecting Beru from the worst of it. With the increase in power all three of the ill young women's energy fields were visible and only seemed to be growing in intensity and luminesense. For a moment it seemed as though there would be no end to the increase in power within the three bed ridden warriors but then it seemed to seemed to reach its peak with a bright flash of light. It only took a few moments for Picollo and the others to regain their eyesight and once they had they looked back at the source of the recent commotion. As expected, the increase in the girls' power levels had shattered the restraints that had kept them fastened to the beds as well as flinging anything not nailed down to the walls. The only postive portion of news was that all three young ladies seemed to have calmed down and were resting peacefully. It looked like the worst of it was over but as the two Saiyans, the Namek and human Doctor came close they discovered that things might have actually gotten worse. All three of the patients' hair had now turned completely black and had aquired a somewhat wild look that went beyond 'bed-hair' or 'unkempt'. Add to that the fact that their bodies had taken a slightly more muscled look than had been the case beforehand and all of them worried that the transformation spell may have taken a giant leap foreward.

"Oh this is not good!" Beru exclaimed with worry as she tried to find a working piece of equipment.

"Doc, you don't know the half of it." Picollo stated from his kneeling position as his eyes seemed locked on something.

"What is it Picollo?" Goku asked with concern as he tried to understand the look on his old rival's face.

In answer the Namek said not a word but simply flung the sheets covering Buffy to the ground exposing her for all to see. What the rest saw almost floored them right then and there but as a credit to their experiences they stayed upright. It was not easy though since what they saw caused their minds to freeze in incomprehension and disbelief. It was not that they didn't know what Picollo was talking about but rather it was how such a thing could be possible that caused them to stare. All they had supposed and speculated about concerning Glory's reasons and intentions when the ex-hell-goddess blasted Buffy were gone as there was no sane reason to believe that this is what the tramp wanted. This was because now, exposed for all to see was a long furry length of flesh that could only be a tail extending out from an opening in Buffy's hospitol clothes. It was not just any tail but rather one had seen many a time before during the course of their adventures when things got particularly nasty. That however did not explain why Buffy now had such a tail but there it was and nothing any of them could say could make this fact go away.

Extending from just below Buffy's waist and currently dangling off the side of her bed was a Saiyan tail.

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	11. Curiouser and Curiouser

Merry Christmas everyone!! Just in time for the holidays here is the latest chapter of my fanfic ÒRevelations, Repercussions and Robots Oh My!Ó!! I hope you like it and if you do please leave a review because I love hearing how much people like my work. Thanks!!

At an undisclosed location, Same Time 

They say that Fate loves coincidences and what was happening at the current hideout of the ex-hell goddess Glorificus only reinforced this concept, much to the displeasure of her minions.

ÒWHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CANÕT LOCATE THE LAST DRAGONBALL!?!?!Ó Glory yelled as she pitched another minion headfirst into a slab of stone.

ÒW-w-we b-beg your forgiveness oh malevolent one! We have been trying day and night without food or sleep to locate that which you desire!Ó , beseeched the current leader of the minions just as those under him were working to extract his predecessor from the slab of stone, ÒWe cannot explain why the final dragonballÕs location cannot be determined but rest assured as of now we are tripling our efforts!Ó

ÒI know you will Dornon!Ó , Glory stated in a surprisingly calm and confident manner, ÒBecause if you donÕt what happened to Zarfon will seem like a walk in the park.Ó

This seemed to dispel most of the fears that Dornon had of following his ex-superior into death at the hands of the great Glorificus. Still it might still be a possibility if he didnÕt produce some good news and fast. However he had few leads where that was concerned and the few that existed were longshots at best. The first was to contact the local spirits and demons to see if they had heard or seen anything that might indicate the location of a dragonball. This was not very reassuring as those blasted Saiyans that the Slayer had befriended had decimated most of the demon population in the area. As for the spirits side of the lead they were of the sickenly good sort which meant that gaining their assistance in this matter would require some scheming of the deceptive sort. Another lead was to use the human tools of this modern era to track it down but that would be even more doubtful since most of the minions were more proficient with sorcery than science. The final option was to monitor the Slayer and her companions on the off chance that they might somehow find the dragonball before the servents of Glorificus discovered it. This would of course mean that another attack would have to be launched on the Capsule Corps building and the last one was only successful because of the Great OneÕs aide. All in all it briefly made Dornon wish he had chosen some other hell goddess to worship but he quickly brushed such thoughts away lest the great and powerful Glorificus hear such disloyal thoughts.

Entering the first chamber of the abandoned castle they had recently appropriated for their new HQ he decided to ask those in charge of the first lead what progress had been made. All about the room various objects of arcane and demonic significance were in use with at least five minions pouring their heart and souls into the rituals and ceremonies. There were some that looked like they might keel over dead at any moment but their unswerving devotion to their mistress kept them on track. Gairon, the minion in charge of this operation was busy putting all the data together into a coherent picture to be presented to the Glorious one. The look on his face did not speak of success but neither did it hint at failure and this was promising or at least more promising than nothing at all. Watching his steps and making his way foreward Dornon approached his subordinate hoping that hopeful news awaited him.

ÒWhat progress have you made Gairon? Our mistress is becoming upset!Ó Dornon asked in a way to convey the seriousness of the situation.

ÒMy underlings are working as hard as they can my brother.Ó , Gairon replied as he continued to try and read the parchment before him, ÒHowever the information we are receiving for that work is vague and difficult to interpret.Ó

ÒThe hellacious one will not be satisfied with such an answer!Ó , Dornon exclaimed in frustration, ÒWhat is it that is so incomprehensible?Ó

ÒAll the sources are saying that Ôbeings of metal and magic have delivered the sphere of Shenron to those who dwell in the shadowsÕ.Ó , Gairon replied nerviously, ÒI have used almost every means at my disposal to try and make the message more comprehensible but nothing has worked!Ó

ÒWell you had better find one that does work or youÕll be answering to her Greatness yourself!Ó Dornon stated as he turned and stormed out of the room.

Well that was less than productive! , Dornon thought to himself as he proceeded to his next destination, In time Gairon might be able to decipher what he has but it is doubtful that we have that time given the malevolent oneÕs current emotional state.

Walking down the spiral staircase that led to the level below he hoped that those proficient with the technology of this era were having more luck. Still when it came to matters of human creations it was doubtful that anything useful would emerge given that what they were looking for was arcane in nature. Still he could leave not stone unturned and no tomb left unopened if he wished to be spared the wrath of the mighty Glorificus. Upon entering the room they had converted for the purpose he found a considerable amount of activity before him. Looking for Narra, the female minion he had put in charge, he found her working feverishly at a computer with a look on her face that almost certainly indicated that she had something. This caused his spirits to rise immediately as it meant he might be one step further away from being turned into a bloody smear on the castle wall. Trying to delicately make his way through the bustling crowd towards his target he noticed that most of the people who were working on the computers were analyzing the same thing. This made his hopes rise even further as it meant a possible breakthrough that may be mere moments from becoming the answer he sought. 

Upon reaching NarraÕs terminal he immediately asked ÒWhat progress have you made Narra? Have you located the last dragonball?Ó

ÒNot exactly Darnon but I believe my collegues and I are a lot closer than the other divisions.Ó Narra replied without looking up at him or breaking the pace at which she was working.

ÒExplain.Ó Darnon demanded as he felt his hopes teetering on the edge of a blade.

ÒAs you know the humans have a vast number of satellites orbiting this world for a variety of purposes ranging from entertainment to military.Ó , Narra said as she briefly looked up at Darnon, ÒMy collegues and I have been searching through their satellite surveillance photos since the last confirmed use of the dragonballs in order to determine where they could have landed.Ó

This bit of news made DarnonÕs hope rise again since what his underling was saying sounded reassuring even though he comprehended less than half of it.

ÒDoes that mean you know where the last dragonball is?Ó Darnon asked in the hopes that he would receive the answer he desired.

ÒNot exactly.Ó , Narra said as she seemed to quit what she had been doing and opened another file, ÒHere, let me show you what we have found so far.Ó

The first photo that appeared on the screen showed a mountainous region with random outcroppings of vegetation. At first Darnon could not understand the significance of this but then he noticed what appeared to be a humanoid shape in the picture. He couldnÕt quite place it at the moment but he was sure he recognized the being in the picture but for the life of him the name wouldnÕt appear in his mind.

ÒAs you no doubt have noticed there is a person in the picture here and at first we thought nothing of it but fortunately I decided to keep an eye on him just in case.Ó , Narra said as the excitement and pride rose in her voice, ÒIt wasnÕt until about an hour later in the satellitesÕ photos that we were able to identify the humanoid as the Namekian known as Picollo.Ó

Yes! That is who I thought it was! Darnon said with satisfaction as he became more interested in what Narra had to say.

ÒAt first I couldnÕt understand what this warrior of Earth was doing so far from his usual areas of habit but then I recalled the file saying that the good side of Picollo, Kami, was once the source of the dragonballs.Ó , Narra said as she slowly progressed through the photos, Ò That may allow him to find the new set of dragonballs and once I determined that it was obvious that he was out there to claim the last dragonball for himself so as to prevent us from aquiring it.Ó

ÒWonderful news!!Ó , Darnon exclaimed, ÒI will tell the great Glory that we have located the last dragonball for her!Ó

Before he could leave though Narra coughed in a manner that indicated that there was more that he should know.

ÒUnfortunately Picollo no longer has the dragonball we seek.Ó Narra said submissively in case any punishment was about to come her way.

ÒWHAT!?!Ó Dornon exclaimed as he whirled around and returned to NarraÕs side.

ÒWhile attempting to determine PicolloÕs present location be discovered that he had been attacked by three unknown assailants wielding formidable magical abilities.Ó , Narra explained as she brought up the pertinent photos, ÒThey were able to defeat him easily and aquire the dragonball for themselves but when we tried to track them using the same satellites they somehow disappeared.Ó

Deciding that it would be better if he remained quiet until Narra finished her explanation Darnon reigned in his emotions and simplely looked at her with nothing but a stony visage.

ÒThus for the last six hours I have had just about every person in this room working on a way to track them and just before you came in we got our first lead.Ó , Narra said as she brought up one final photo, ÒIntriguing wouldnÕt you say?Ó

ÒYes. Most interesting indeed.Ó Darnon said as he pondered the image before him.

The photo was one of Picollo attacking one of his magically empowered foes and actually scoring a decent blow. At the point of impact a significant tear had been made in the fabric of the assailants shirt and a cut made in the attackerÕs flesh. What was revealed upon computor enhancement was that beneath the cloth and the ÔfleshÕ was a complex assembling of circuits and wires. What possessed DarnonÕs attention though was not the mechanical aspect of the attacker but what was nestled inside the mechanics. It was a bright red ruby mounted on a silver buckle that had apparently been welded into the mechanical attackers metal frame. With this bit of information it was only a matter of time until the last dragonball was found. After all the minions of Glorificus were far more proficient in arcane matters than in technological ones and thus it shouldnÕt take long to track down what was obviously a power enhancement talisman.

Tokyo International Airport, 5:00p.m 

This has got to be the most insane thing I have ever done! Pierce thought to himself as he stepped into the airport and headed for the luggage claim area.

When he had accepted the mission given to him by OÕConnel he had suspected it would be frought with peril but in this particular case not even his own paranoia was enough to keep him completely safe. There had been quite a few close calls on his way to Japan, some of which would have been the end of him had he not been what he was and had lived this long already. Still he considered it nothing short of a miracle that he had made it this far still in one piece with his cargo still in his possession. He had placed the box that his friend had given him in the most inconspicuous and practical bag he could find since walking around with a large metal box with engravings on it would have been stupid. Still it didnÕt make it any easier for him to stand there waiting for the bloody machine to spit out his luggage so he could leave before attracting any more attention. Eventually the machine complied with his wishes and discharged his luggage allowing him to proceed to the parking area where he had arranged for a rental car to be parked near the entrance. He just hoped that he could make a clean getaway without any nasty encounters since he only had one more change of clothes with him and he had no desire to try his hand at the latest in asian fashion. Ever since they got pulled into the modern era JapanÕs taste in clothes had taken a drastic nosedive with no room for kimonos or other elegant garb. Still the same could be said for just about every other country he had ever visited so there was really no use bellyaching about it.

It was dark outside but fortunately he could see his car from the entrance of the airport so that wasnÕt so bad. What was bad was the large black van parked three spaces ahead of it blocking his most direct route to his veichle. He didnÕt even have to think to know that the people in that truck were most likely not his friends and didnÕt want to give him a lift to the city of the future that Rupert was staying at the moment. For a moment he considered his options, hoping that at least one of them would allow him to leave peacefully and without causing a scene. Unfortunately that time was cut short when the doors to the dark van opened and three black clad fellows stepped out. He hoped that they were just out to get some fresh air but somehow he doubted it and those suspicions were confirmed when they started to briskly walk towards him. Deciding that he had best move this fight to someplace more isolated he turned to the right and began to walk as fast as he could without attracting attention. The farther he could get into the right side of the parking lot the less likely any innocent bystanders would get hurt in the dust up that was sure to happen once his fans caught up with him. After all the right side of the parking lot was surprisingly bare and thus nobody from the airport would be venturing that way anytime soon. He could hear the footfalls of his pursuers behind him getting closer but couldnÕt go any faster walking without actually changing into a job or outright run. That of course would attract attention from those bystanders waiting by the front doors of the airport which would lead to airport security being called in and from there things would really get annoying. Thus all he could do was keep going for as long as he could and hoped that things turned out the way he planned. It was at that moment that he felt someone else grab the back end of the bag carrying the box and cursed himself for not remembering MurphyÕs Law.

Not even bothering with the witty repartee he usually dabbled in before fighting he immediately spun around and landed a solid kick to the grabberÕs jaw knocking him back into one of his pals. Using the momentum from that move he continued into a spinning jump heel kick to the attacker to the immediate left of his first victim. For at least a few moments this has the desired effect of causing his attackers to back up a bit and rethink their situation. Unfortunately what they rethought was the idea of trying to take him in hand-to-hand combat since they immediately reached into their coats and pulled out magnums and automatics. It was at moments like these that most would send a prayer up to God for a little divine intervention but he had lived too long and seen too much to believe in that sort of thing so instead he did what came naturally. He unsheathed his broadsword from beneath his trenchcoat and charged his attackers hoping that both his weapon and the fact that he was attacking them would be enough to make them freeze for a few seconds. Sadly they soon recovered their senses but by this time he was just within effective range for his sword and this gave him a fighting chance. Not knowing who they actually were he decided that he would just render them unconscious rather than kill them. He had seen far to much death during his lifetimes to deal out to strangers without due cause and besides all it would do is cause them to bring even bigger guns next time.

Twirlling away from the gun directly in front of him he sweeped his sword down beneath it before slashing upwards and sending it flying into the air with the force of his blow. Not wasting time to think he quickly changed the direction of his sword hand and brought the hilt down hard upon the same manÕs head knocking him unconscious. With his other arm he elbowed the man to right of his first target in the face and heard the satisfying sound of a nose breaking. With that man temporarily distracted by the pain he turned his attention towards to the left of his first adversary and delivered a thrust kick to the manÕs mid-section sending him to the ground. By this point in the fight he had successfully dealt with all three of the attackers that had emerged from the van and an oppourtunity for escape now presented itself. Giving the man whose nose he broke one last punch for good measure he made a run for his rental and occasionally looked behind him to see if his three assailants gave pursuit. Eventually he got to his rental and quickly got in, throwing his cargo rather unceremoniously into the back seat. He thanked whatever rental service he had called for having the sense to put the keys in the ignition for him but as he turned the key to start the car he realized something crucial. A rental car agency wouldnÕt leave the keys in the ignition since that would make it an awfully tempting target for car thieves.

Oh bloody hell!! he thought to himself as he realized why none of his attackers were pursuing him.

Unfortunately that one thought was all that he had time for as a split second later the entire car exploded in a massive ball of flame.

Undisclosed Location, 5:30p.m 

ÒThe messenger has been disposed of sir.Ó Said the voice on the other end of the phone line.

ÒGood. What of the box he should have been carrying?Ó Seven asked with concern.

ÒThere was no box with him sir. Just his luggage and that went up in smoke with him.Ó Replied the operative with some measure of pride.

This concerned Seven deeply for a moment as two possibilities came up: either the Watcher that had just been killed was a decoy meant to distract him from the true courier or else these bumbling fools just destroyed the most precious artifact in their former organizationÕs history. If it was the former than he would just send this agent and his comrades to the other locations to reinforce their comrades. Should the latter be the case he would have his androids deal out a painful permanent punishment for them when they returned. Until it was decided one way or another he would have them return to base since the explosion would undoubtably attract attention of the law enforcement variety and it would look suspicious to have black clothed men sifting through an explosion site.

ÒReturn to base. Nine will debrief you and accept your reports.Ó Seven said in as neutral a tone as possible.

ÒAye sir.Ó Said the voice on the other end before he hung up.

With that matter dealt with it was on to more important matters such as dealing with the inevitable confrontation with the Beast Glorificus and the eventual recovery of the Slayers from the transformation. Of the two he considered Glory to be the bigger problem since she and her party were more inclined towards homicidal courses of action than the rogues. Despite the androidsÕ efficiency in dealing with Picollo he wasnÕt altogether convinced that they could take on the hell goddess and her minions on their own. He only had a small number of human allies with him from the Watchers organization and only a third of them were trained in the arcane arts. If the Beast were to somehow locate them and attack they would be hard pressed to defend themselves much less retain the one dragonball they had in their possession. Therefore he had to somehow divert her attention away from the dragonball and more in the direction of the Slayers and their friends. The question was how to do that without inadvertently divulging the location of the dragonball since it was a well known fact that Glory could drain information from her victims. The obvious course of action would be to send one of his lowest underlings who would not even come close to knowing the location of the dragonball but that would still give the Beast the locations of almost all of their safe houses. That would be an unacceptable loss of resources and would severely limit the amount of bolt holes for him to run to should this one be compromised.

There has to be a way to turn this to my advantage! Seven thought to himself as his mind raced to find a solution to his dilemma.

Then it hit him, the perfect solution to both his problems and one that would leave him free to pursue his own objectives later. It would require him to sacrifice a few operatives but thankfully he knew just the ones to throw to the Beast.

Capsule Corps, Living Room,6:30p.m 

I have a feeling itÕs going to be one of those nights! Giles thought to himself as he continued to look through his books for a solution to their current set of problems.

Just about everyone was in a state of shock from the information that they had received from BulmaÕs aunt a few hours ago and it didnÕt look like it was going to wear off anytime soon. Saiyans. For some reason known only to the insane Glorificus the spell that had hit Buffy and afflicted Faith and Dawn had somehow transformed them into Saiyans. It made no sense, no matter how many different ways they looked at the situation none of the Scoobies or Z fighters could come up with a plausible reason for such an act. As Saiyans the two Slayers and one KeyÕs powers would only increase and make things even more difficult for the former hell goddess should they come into conflict in the near future. Unfortunately he hoped that such a confrontation wouldnÕt be for a while since the three young women still needed time to recover from their ordeals before they would be in any shape to fight. That was assuming of course that the spell didnÕt affect their minds in the same way that it had affected their bodies otherwise they could essentially be completely different people now. Different personalities and different ideas of what they mission in life should be as well as a profound lack of basic morality. According to what he had gathered about the Saiyan race they were a warrior race where power meant everything and the weak were treated like cannon fodder. Saiyans seemed to enjoy a good fight and saw nothing wrong with picking on the weaker races. ÒThe strong will survive and the weak shall perishÓ was the way that Vegita put it and considering that he was once a member of the Saiyan royal family it was fairly safe to say that the rest of the race thought along those lines as well. He just hoped that their lives as human beings would keep them from going to far in following the Saiyan PrinceÕs example. Aunt Beru was still running a few genetic tests on blood samples taken from the girls to ascertain whether or not the transformation was merely cosmetic or if it was complete in every way possible. He supposed that it could be one big joke with Glory being the only one to get the punchline but somehow he doubted that the Beast would play with her prey like that. Hopefully by comparing the girlsÕ blood with that taken from Goku and a reluctant Vegita would put such speculation to rest.

As for their second problem, the theft of the last dragonball and the mysterious new player, they were only slightly better off in that department. Since it was an established fact that Dr. Gero was the creator of the androids it was fairly safe to assume that whoever owned these androids had some connection to the mad doctor. With that in mind Willow, Tara and Bulma were searching through the internet and a few government databanks for records of GeroÕs activities prior to his death. Hopefully they would come across something that would give them at the very least a place to start looking for the dragonball. What they could do once they found the location they were looking for was another thing if the state Picollo arrived in is any indication of the threat they faced from this unknown player. That was what made unseen opponents so dangerous, with little known about them it was exceedingly difficult to predict their next move or even guess at their motivations. All they could do was try to cover all the bases and hope for the best although not knowing how many bases there were was going to complicate matters. So basically they were all in a state of limbo at the moment, waiting for something to nudge them in a certain direction.

Just then the entire building shook but it was only for a moment and didnÕt really bother Rupert in the least since it had been something of common occurance since word of the girlsÕ condition got around. Most likely it was Vegeta again, the Saiyan prince was having a bit of difficulty with the idea that the three young women he had seen as pathetic only a few days before had been transformed into full blooded Saiyans like him. From what he could tell Vegeta valued his Saiyan pedigree and his pride more than anything else and to suddenly have three beings given that pedigree for some unfathomable reason was somehow an affront to him and his people. Thus he was venting his unhappiness in the enhanced gravity room and had been doing so ever since the news was released. He had heard Dr. Brief complain more than once that he would have quite the workload now thanks to VegetaÕs temper tantrums. He sympathized with the man as he too at times found it difficult to do his job as Watcher with Buffy often going her own way rather than following his directions. Still both of them were determined to do their duties regardless of how ultimately futile it was and how much they sometimes wished they were in another line of work.

Suddenly Rupert got the distinct impression that someone was looking over his shoulder and when he turned around he found Goten standing there apparently trying to make out the writing in the book the Watcher was reading.

ÒIs there something I can do for you Goten?Ó he asked as he closed the book and placed it down on the table with the others.

ÒNah, Mom just sent me to tell you that sheÕs fixed up a small snack for you in the kitchen if you want it.Ó , Goten replied with a smile, ÒShe thought you could use it since you looked a bit run down.Ó

Now that the half Saiyan mentioned it he was feeling a bit hungry and add that to the fact that he had not been able to make much progress with his research perhaps a break was in order. Standing up and doing a quick stretch to get the kinks out first Giles began to walk towards the kitchen and some much needed sustenance. Yet even during this supposed break he couldnÕt help but think about the dilemmas they were facing and what new ones might develop along the way. It seemed that this was going to be one of those missions, one where MurphyÕs law ruled and complications were a certainty. The last time that it happened was during the whole situation with Adam and the Initiative which had ended in a bloody massacre. He just hoped that things wouldnÕt be as bad this time around otherwise he may just consider retiring for good while he was still able. Upon reaching the door to the kitchen he could already smell the tea on the other side as well as something that smelled like buttermilk biscuits. His stomach reacted to these smells rather violently as it gave off a loud rumble as if giving voice to its desires. Certain that those on the other side of the door had heard that he tried to enter the room as calmly as possible but that failed miserably when he saw who else had decided to have a snack. 

Sitting at the table with about five empty bowls next to him and ten more filled with a variety of dishes waiting to be eaten was Goku who was stuffing his face as if he was afraid that they might disappear if he didnÕt eat quick enough. It always amazed him when he saw this because regardless of how much food the Saiyan hero ate he always maintained his fit and muscled form. The only possible solution was that his Saiyan metabolism burned off the food almost as fast as he could eat it. He gave a slight chuckle as he tried to imagine the grocery bill that Chi-Chi must be forced to deal with to feed both Goku and Goten. It seemed that the chuckle he just had caused the two kitchen occupants to notice him as Goku paused from his feeding frenzy and Chi-Chi stopped washing the dishes.

ÒHello Mr. Giles, I see you decided to take a break from working with those books.Ó , Chi-Chi stated, ÒYour tea and biscuits are on the table. I hope theyÕre to your liking.Ó

ÒThank you, I am sure that they are quite fine.Ó Giles said as he pulled a chair in front of his snack and sat down.

ÒFfo, aniigh lugg wiff da boofs?Ó Goku asked with a mouthful of noodles in his mouth.

ÒGoku! How many times have I told you not to speak with your mouth full!?Ó Chi-Chi scolded as she gave her Saiyan husband a look familiar to anyone who ever took the marriage vows.

Quickly swallowing his food Goku said ÒSorry Chi-Chi.Ó

ÒThatÕs all right. Now what were you asking Mr.Giles?Ó Chi-Chi asked forgivingly.

ÒI was just wondering if he had any luck with his books.Ó Goku replied with an almost child-like curiousity.

ÒUnfortunately no I havenÕt. I have looked at all the spell books I have access to as well as a few online resrouces that Willow showed me but nothing has come up.Ó , Giles said not even bothering to show his distaste for computers, ÒThe more I think about it the more I am convinced that Glory is not responsible for the transformations that Buffy and the others are going through.Ó

ÒThen what could it be?Ó Chi-Chi asked with a bit of her own interest.

Just then the door swung open and there standing in the doorway was Trunks who was helping an apparently injured to stand. 

ÒI believe I can answer that question.Ó Replied Pierce before he collapsed box and all to the ground.


	12. Things begin to take shape

ÒRevelations, Repercussions and Robots Oh My!Ó By Ryley Breen AKA Shadow Master

email: rybreen@ the berries.ns.ca

Buffy, Dream State 

O-kay! This is weird! Buffy thought to herself as she continued to walk down the stone hallway.

She felt as though she were walking along the bottom of the ocean as each of her movements seemed sluggish and impeded by some unseen force. However when she looked around herself she saw nothing but what appeared to be open air and so that aspect of her current situation remained little more than a nagging feeling. She tried to remember how she had gotten here or where she had been before but all she could produce were vague impressions and sensations instead of clear cut answers. Deciding that she didnÕt really have anything better to do she decided to do a little exploring and see if that jogged her memory. As she continued she noticed that the walls seemed to have banners hanging from them with weird symbols and writing on them. It kinda reminded her of those coat of arms things she heard were hung inside English Parliament and she sensed that this was somewhat the same. Just then she noticed a big man walking down the hall in the opposite direction that she was headed in and it a manner that immediately hit her as military. He was dressed in some sort of cross between animal skins and metallic body armor as well as a funky pair of glasses. When they got within a few feet of each other he stopped and gave her some kind of closed fist salute before proceeding. She was a bit confused for a moment, not because he had saluted her but because it seemed to feel natural to her, as if she expected him to salute.

She dismissed the uncertain feelings she was experiencing and continued down the hallway until she came to a fork in the proverbial road with only two directions for her to go, left or right. While her mind didnÕt seem to have an idea of where to go her body as it immediately went to the right as if it were on auto-pilot. Continuing on her way she eventually came to a stretch of hallway that had windows on either side and that made her curious as to what was going on outside. Fortunately her body seemed to agree with her since once they were within range she changed course and headed for the nearest window. Outside the landscape was an odd mixture of shiny technological looking buildings and crude stone buildings that seemed to be a couple of hundred years behind the times. She could see people walking and flying about all over the place with the same type of clothes as the man she had encountered a few minutes earlier. Then without warning her body seemed to decide that it was time to resume walking and so she resumed her march down the hall. Her mind was beginning to get a little bored with all this walking and wished things would get a bit more interesting soon. Not that she wasnÕt fascinated with the whole grand tour deal but youÕve seen one big castle then youÕve seen them all. It was then that she heard yelling echoing down the halls and that for some reason worried her and caused her to quicken her pace. It took a few near misses and wrong turns but eventually she got to the source of the yelling and peeked around the last corner to see what was going on. What she saw were two men one fairly tall with bulky muscles and the other was a bit shorter with better proportioned muscles but no less impressive. One thing that she noticed immediately was the difference in wardrobe that the two men had as well as the demeanor in which they talked to each other. The Tall Man while adorned with some medals and decorations seemed to be a soldier, one of the higher ups to be sure but he acted as though he was under the Shorter Man. The Shorter ManÕs clothing seemed to scream importance as did the way he carried himself and spoke to the Tall Soldier. As for their demeanor the Tall man seemed to disapprove of something that the Short important Man had planned and was trying to talk him out of it.

ÒWith all due respect Verdune there is no way that your father is going to allow little Vera any sort claim!Ó , Tall Soldier said to the short Verdune, ÒIf she were more powerful like you your dad might be willing to listen but she has too much of her mother in her.Ó

ÒYouÕre wrong Nacra!! My daughter has the potential to become the most powerful warrior among us, just you wait and see!!Ó , Verdune said angrily as his right hand closed into a fist, ÒI donÕt care what those imbeciles say down in the lab, I know what my own flesh and blood is capable of and thatÕs the end of it!!Ó

ÒLook IÕve been with you this far out of gratitude for what youÕve done for me in the past.Ó , Nacra said with resignation, ÒStill, itÕs only a matter of time before her true heritage is discovered and thus the connection between you, Barda and Vera. You know the rules of the empire as well as I do and what it will mean if all of this is disovered by someone. If it comes to a battle my troops and I will back you all the way but I would prefer it not come to that my friend.Ó

Verdune seemed to have come to his senses and nodded in agreement with his friend before saying ÒI agree my friend. We should do all in our power to make sure this doesnÕt come to civil war. However I will not simply toss aside my family to save my own hide.Ó

It was then that Buffy moved from her hiding place and began to walk towards them, almost skipping along down the hall. It didnÕt take long for them to notice her and naturally they put their figurative masks on to hide the seriousness of what they had been talking about. It was only natural that this Verdune wanted to protect his child and wife but in BuffyÕs opinion it wouldnÕt work out in the end. If this guy was half as important as he looked it was only a matter of time before someone put the pieces together and revealed the truth to everyone.

Nacra got down to one knee and said ÒGreetings Princess Vera! How are you today?Ó

ÒQuit kissing up Nacra!Ó , she said with an annoyed tone in her voice, ÒYou know I can see through your pleasantries so why you even bother is beyond me!Ó

Verdune seemed amused at this as a light chuckle escaped his lips.

ÒDonÕt be too amused father, I heard everything you said and personally I think you should just kill grandpa if he doesnÕt see things your way!Ó , Buffy said as she crossed her arms across her chest, ÒYouÕre much stronger than he is and only the strongest should rule! The others will see this soon enough and if they donÕt then weÕll just have to make sure they donÕt have the time to do anything about it!Ó

This only made Verdune laugh even harder to the point where it echoed up and down the hallways. Nacra seemed pleased by this response as well but for a decidedly different reason if she could tell from the look in his eyes. He reached up to his scouter and tapped the activation button twice before his laughter changed from respectful to one of victorious. It was then that it all happened, from every opening around then soldiers of various ranks landed and surrounded them on all sides. Verdune seemed almost paralyzed with shock as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place and his feelings turned into hatred. Buffy was only slightly behind him as she realized what had happened and then she too felt the urge to hurt someone. Nacra had betrayed them, that was what the tapping of his scouter was for, he had used it to signal these troops to appear. NacraÕs smile only got bigger as he took in the looks coming from Verdune and herself.

ÒThanks kid! Those little words were all I needed to earn me a big fat promotion!Ó Nacra said arrogantly.

For a moment it seemed as though Verdune would disregard the soldiers around him and attack Nacra head on but instead he closed his eyes and all the anger in his face seemed to evaporate. When he opened then he seemed completely at ease, as if nothing had happened and as if the soldiers were not there. 

ÒSo tell me Nacra, when exactly was it that you decided it was more valuable to betray me than to remain loyal?Ó Verdune asked in a calm and civil manner.

ÒIt was the time you started giving that low class dog of a woman more than a momentÕs glance after that first night!Ó , Nacra replied as he gave voice to his grievances, ÒHer class and our class have no business associating with one another in any way! We are the elite, the best our people have to offer, and those low class fools donÕt deserve to lick the mud from our boots much less rule us like you planned with this weed!Ó

This provoked a reaction but not the one that Nacra was expecting because instead of grabbing his kid and trying to make a break for it he did something completely unexpected. With speed that surprised everyone there Verdune raised his right arm and before anyone could stop him he unleashed a massive energy blast at Nacra vaporizing him in an instant. By the time that the light died down and everyone else could see again there was nothing more left of the traitor Nacra than a pile of ashes. This scared the wits out of the guards and caused them to raise their weapons and aim them directly at Verdune as if they expected him to begin attacking them at any moment. Needless to say they werenÕt all that confident about their chances from the way their blasters were shaking in their hands. However Verdune was not about to waste time with them because he never condoned, whether it be in war or an argument, fighting a lost battle.

ÒWe surrender.Ó Verdune said as he held out his hands in front of himself.

Capsule Corps, Living Room, 6:45p.m 

ÒPierce! What the bloody hell happened to you!?Ó , Giles asked in an agitated manner as he helped his friend into the a chair, ÒWhat do you mean you can answer our questions?!Ó

Pierce only chuckled a bit at this as once he got to a certain degree of laughing his ribs flared up and he gripped his right side. Frowning an obviously mentally chastising himself he took a moment to compose himself and settle down so as not to aggravate his injuries any more than they already were. At least that was how Giles saw it but then he could be reading too much into it as his currently state did make any observations somewhat subjective. Still it was something of a small shock to see his old Watcher comrade Donald Pierce here in Future City and looking like he had just survived World War Three. What was even stranger was the box that Pierce seemed determined to make sure never left his side or sight for that matter. Rupert could already tell that it was very old from the overall design and the obvious signs of wear and tear on it but the few markings that were on it were a complete mystery to him. Pierce seemed to notice his intense scrutiny of the box and almost went into another fit of chuckling but this time managed to stop himself.

ÒIn that order: I narrowly avoided being blown up in my rental carÓ , Pierce replied as he picked up the box and placed it on the living roomÕs center table, Òand all the answers to your present questions are in this box.Ó

It was then when Vegeta got a clear look at the box itself that he seemed to break out of that perpetual frown he seemed to always have and instead looked at the box with a look of shock. That didnÕt last long though as almost immediately after the others noticed the change in his appearance he dashed over to Pierce, lifted him up by the collar of his shirt and looked like he would killed the human if he didnÕt like the answers he received for each of his questions.

ÒWHERE DID YOU GET THIS BOX!? WHERE DID YOU FIND IT!?Ó , Vegeta yelled as he punctuated each of his questions with a shake, ÒANSWER ME HUMAN OR IÕLL DESTROY YOU RIGHT NOW!!Ó

Fortunately before the Saiyan Prince could get anymore out of control Goku stepped in and forcibly took Pierce from VegetaÕs grip and as gently as possible set Donald back down into his chair.

ÒVegeta! Get a grip on yourself! He would be able to tell us anything if you wind up killing him by accident!Ó , Goku said as he stared down his rival, ÒBesides IÕm sure if we wait long enough everything should become crystal clear.Ó

For a moment it seemed as though Vegeta would turn his aggression towards Kakarot but after a moment of indecision he seemed to settle down. He took up a position next to the nearest wall and never let his gaze stray from Pierce or the box. To his credit though Pierce only looked mildly concerned with the instense stare he was getting. Still he decided that perhaps it would be wise to hurry along with his explanation since he had already lost a great deal of time getting here.

ÒWell first I want to say that what I have to tell you will no doubt seem unbelievable but I assure you itÕs all true.Ó , Pierce stated before turning to Giles, ÒI came here under orders from Watcher One himself so that along should tell you how important this is Rupert.Ó

Needless to say Giles did indeed raise his state if attentiveness when he heard that name as well as become deeply concerned at what Pierce was about to reveal to them.

ÒWhoÕs Watcher One?Ó Willow asked curiously as she tried to remember everything Giles had ever told her about the Watchers Council.

ÒWatcher One is a part of an inner circle of twelve within the Watchers Council Willow.Ó , Giles said as he went back into his memory, ÒThe inner circle is the ruling body of the Council and responsible for every major decision that needs to be made regarding policy and courses of action.Ó

Ò É and this Watcher One is like the President?Ó Xander asked from his spot next to Willow.

ÒMore or less but although he is the head of the inner circle he cannot make a decision without their approval.Ó , Giles explained before a realization hit him, ÒYou said One sent you here, donÕt you mean the inner circle sent you here?Ó

ÒNo Rupert IÕm afraid that One went out entirely on his own on this one and is not doubt submitting himself to the tender mercies of his colleagues as we speak.Ó , Pierce replied shaking his head, ÒHe gave me the impression before I left that he had suggested giving you this box but that they had flat out rejected the idea. Obviously whatever is inside this box, the other members of the inner circle wanted it kept a secret.Ó

ÒWhy?Ó Bulma asked as she tried to piece all this strange information together.

ÒWell to put it bluntly they see the information in this box the only advantage they have where the Slayers are concerned.Ó , Pierce said as he tried to remember everything he had been told and had heard, ÒThey see Slayers as unstable commodities that have to be carefully manipulated in order to serve the CouncilÕs needs.Ó

ÒThatÕs preposterous!! The Watchers CouncilÕs duty is to monitor demonic and paranormal activity on Earth and aide the Slayer in combating these forces!Ó , Giles exclaimed in denial of the implications of PierceÕs words, ÒYou make it sound as though the Council sees the Slayers as weapons to be fired and tossed aside when they have outlived their usefulness!Ó

ÒLook Rupert I donÕt know all the answers! IÕm only telling you what IÕve learned on my own and what Watcher One told me!Ó , Pierce said in his defense, ÒHopefully what is contained in this box will clear things up for everyone.Ó

ÒWell then letÕs just open the damn thing instead of tippy-toeing around it!Ó Anya said in a manner that made it clear that she was eager to see what was so special about the box and why the two Watchers were having such a hissy fit over it.

Pierce agreed and began to press down on certain symbols on the top of the box in a specific order. When he was done he simply sat back in his chair and acted as though he were waiting for something and it wasnÕt long before it became clear as to the reason. Seemingly on its own the buttons began to mimic the pattern that Pierce had just pressed them in and then began to go up and down in a pattern completely unfamiliar to them. For a while it seemed as though it wouldnÕt stop for a while and then it suddenly ceased which left everyone else in the room wondering what would happen next. Then without warning the top of the box burst open as though something inside were exploding out but all that emerged from the box was a white light. At first most thought that it might just be coming from some sort of internal illumination device but those schooled in sorcery and magic knew differently. They could feel the magic coming off of the light and knew that a spell of some kind had just been activated by the opening of the box. The light expanded upwards like it was coming from a flashlight but then it seemed to become more focused at the top of the beam. It was as if a invisible force were slowly organizing the particles of light it the pattern it wanted regardless of the laws of physics. Slowly but surely it became clear that the light was beginning to take a distinctly humanoid form, one that was becoming more detailed as time went on. Over the course of the next few minutes the humanoid image was shown to wear a cloak, had a long curly beard and seemed to be a scholar of some sort by the glasses he wore. When the image finally reached completion what floated above the box was an elderly man dressed in clothes that made him look as though he would fit right in at some school of wizardry. However the clasp that held his cloak in place immediately caught GilesÕ eye and he knew that the image that stood before them now was that of Watcher one.

ÒHello Rupert. This is going to be a great deal for everyone to take in at once but must ask you to be patient.Ó , the image said in a grandfatherly tone of voice, ÒI have sent this portion of my soul in order to reveal to you the most heavily protected secret that the Watchers Council possesses.Ó

An Undisclosed Location, 7:15p.m 

**__**

**__**

ÒBOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!Ó

That was the sound made when Glory battered down the door to the warehouse in front of her and when the dented metal door hit the floor the sound continued to echo around the empty room. The Beast looked around the room and seemed to become more and more miffed as time went on since it soon became clear that her prey was not here and that her minions had failed her once more. That of course meant that she would have to kill a few of them in an exceptionally gore oriented way in order to properly motivate the rest to do their jobs. That bit of fun was the only thing preventing her from going on a citywide rampage right now to vent her frustration. It was then that she noticed that the place wasnÕt entirely empty was she had once believed since arrogantly walking towards her were three teenagers and a man that had ÔminionÕ written all over him. She considered for a moment just bursting over there and draining the information she wanted straight from their minds but since it was obvious they wanted to talk Glory decided it might be fun to listen to what they have to say.

ÒIÕm afraid that the object youÕre looking for is not here Glorificus.Ó , the human said in a calm and collected way, ÒIt has been placed in a secure location until the conclusion of our deal.Ó

ÒDeal?Ó Glory inquired though from the look on her face it seemed she was quite amused at this bugÕs delusions of security.

ÒYes. The party that I represent is willing to give you the dragonball so that you may return to your native hell dimension but only if you do a favor for us.Ó The human replied as what little tension existed in his body drained away.

ÒÉ And what would that be little man?Ó Glorificus asked as she began to prowl around the man and his group like a jungle cat.

ÒAs you know the Slayer is in town. She is staying at the home belonging to an enemy of my leaderÕs and causing quite a bit of trouble.Ó , the human man said, ÒDestroy them and all those who get in your way and you can have the dragonball.Ó

ÒIÕll even throw in these three Arcane Androids to assist you since your last attack on Capsule seemed singularly unsuccessful.Ó , the man added while trying to keep an eye on her, ÒSo do we have a deal?Ó

For a moment Glorificus considered what this man was proposing as well as what truly lay beneath his business-like fa 


	13. The Shiteth hit the Faneth! BIG TIME!

ÒRevelations, Repercussions and Robots Oh MyÓ By Ryley Breen AKA Shadow Master

email: rybreen@theberries.ns.ca

Note: I apolagize in advance for any puzzling signs you see when you read this. Somehow when I upload this document to Fanfiction.net all the quotation marks change into some weird symbol. While most people will notice this and make the appropriate adjustments this notice is for those who are still troubled. Also to all those who love this fanfic and are upset that it took so long to update I whole heartedly apolagize and hope that this will not cause you to dislike either me or this fanfic. I too get upset when certain fanfic authors take too long to post the next chapter of their fanfics but in the end as long as they do eventually update I can usually forgive them. I promise to try harder to update my fanfics more often. Thank you for your understanding.

Capsule Corps, 7:30p.m 

**__**

**__**

ÒWell now, where should I begin?Ó The magical hologram that looked like Watcher One asked as he stroked his short ÔSean ConneryÕ beard.

ÒHow about with why Buffy, Faith and Dawn have turned into Saiya-jins?Ó Xander asked and the rest of the people in the room nodded in agreement.

Well everyone except Vegita who did nothing but scowl at the hologram with a look in his eyes that seemed to suggest he was expecting a specific answer and was just waiting to see if he was right. Only Goku noticed this but decided to say nothing as he predicted that his rival would speak up sooner or later about what was going on in his head.

ÒWell the simple answer to that one is that the restraining spell that was placed on them at birth has been broken.Ó , Watcher One replied, ÒWith that gone it was only a matter of time until they reverted back into their natural selves.Ó

ÒÕ*Natural selves*Õ?!?Ó Giles exclaimed as it seemed that his head was about to explode.

ÒYes. Genetically when a Slayer is ÔbornÕ they are pure blooded Saiya-jins.Ó , Watcher One went on to explain, ÒIt is only after the birthing process that the spell is placed on them and most of their peoplesÕ natural characteristics are suppressed.Ó

ÒThat canÕt be, Slayers canÕt be Saiya-jins!! The WatchersÕ archives clearly state that the Slayer was of this world and had been around since the beginning!!Ó Giles declared as he tried to come to grips with what was being laid out for him.

This was not easy for him at all, everything he had been taught and thought that he knew seemed to be disintegrating right before his very eyes. To say that he was beginning to question his very existence was not very far from what was actually happening. Basic truths that he had taken to heart were being exposed as lies or at the very least not completely true. For a brief moment he just wanted to destroy the box and everything in it rather than listen to another word of this shocking information. However the rational part of him wanted to wait and hear more in the hopes of claiming some sort of understanding of the past he apparently knew so little about. In the end he chose simply to wait, to listen to the story that was unfolding before him and accept the changes that were occurring before him.

ÒIÕm afraid Rupert that the history of the Slayer that most Watchers of your class are given is something of a fabrication.Ó , Watcher One stated with sympathy in his voice, ÒThe truth is known only to the members of the ruling inner circle of the Watchers Council and each member is forebidden to tell anyone outside the circle under pain of hellfire.Ó

ÒÕPain of hellfireÕ?Ó Willow asked with a curiousity that made it clear that she was having an easier time accepting this than Giles.

ÒEssentially if you tell anyone outside the Inner Circle you will be banished to a hell dimension for eternity and as your friend Angel could attest it is not pleasant for mortal creaturesÓ Watcher One replied with an approving grin.

Willow blushed a bit but said nothing as she wanted him to continue with his story.

ÒAnyway, getting back to the answer to RupertÕs question, the truth of the matter is that Slayers have only been around for about seventy-five hundred years.Ó Watcher One stated before pausing on purpose for dramatic effect apparently.

Unfortunately most of the people in this room made it clear with their glares that they did not share his appreciation for drama.

ÒHmph, yes .. well, in order to understand this in its full context you must understand the time period in question. It was just after the last battle with the final true demon to leave our dimension and the beginning of the reign of the human race.Ó , Watcher One explained carefully, ÒIt had been a terrible war but in the end the mortal humans and other creatures on the side of good had managaed to achieve victory. It did not come without a price though as only a third of the army of good had survived and many were weary of war.Ó

Watcher One didnÕt even have to look around the room to tell that he had the attention of everyone in earshot. They listened with the rapt attention of a child listening to their grandparent telling them of something that happened long ago. Even some of the more obtuse ones seemed to be fixed on him but this was not entirely unexpected since very little was known about the war between the mortal humans and the demons. The ravages of the passage of time had wiped away almost all record of the event and those tablets or scrolls that survived were incomplete in their telling of the story. Only the Watchers Council knew the whole story but even among the Watchers few could translate the ancient texts much less understand them. Still it was nice to have such an attentive audience since most young folk these days cared so very little about the past.

ÒThe bulk of those who remained were charged with guarding the surviving human civilians as well as those who were of some importance where fighting the demons were concerned.Ó , Watcher One explained as he continued with his tale, ÒNeedless to say things were stretched rather thin and the human race had barely enough resources to tend to itÕs own needs much less deal with the demons in anything more than defensive measure.Ó

ÒThey had hoped that after the banishing of the last pure blooded demon from this plain of existence that they would be allowed something of a breather. A chance to lick their wounds, regain some of what they had lost in the war such as homes and peace of mind. Unfortunately the Fates had something else in mind for them as only a few months later a massive ball of flame descended from the sky and crashed a few days journey from the largest human settlement.Ó

ÒWhat was it?Ó Willow asked with all the attention of a little girl listening to a tale being told by a grandfather.

ÒThe mages and warriors of the ruling council feared that it was a sign that one of the demons that they had banished had somehow returned.Ó , Watcher One replied in answer to the redheadÕs question, ÒThis was supported by the fact that the mages sensed great power coming from the place where the ball of flame had touched down. So in the hope of stopping the evil before it had a chance to spread a small army of the strongest mages and warriors the human race had to offer was sent to investigate.

Inside FaithÕs Dreams 

**__**

**__**

Talk about dŽjˆ vu. Faith thought to herself as she looked around the large room as well as the ÔRoad WarriorÕ rejects that sat around her in coliseum type bleachers.

Being something of a rebel both before and after she had become a Slayer the raven-haired teen was no stranger to a courtroom and that was definitely what this looked like to her. From the jury being off to one side of the room and the judge looming over her from his raised position it all reminded her of the times she had been tried and sent to juvy. Needless to say she was beginning to miss that cranky old lady judge who had been in charge of the courtroom more often than not. Mostly because this guy in front of her seemed the type to take a little too much pleasure in sentencing the criminals to a slow and painful death. That and the fact that there quite a few riled up spectators in this court that seemed all too willing to volunteer for that particular job. Her mind was slightly fuzzy about where she was and how she got here but she was something of a quick study and knew that this was not good. 

ÒPrince Verdune! You are charged with plotting to assassinate the King and mating with a low caste soldier, the evidence of which is standing beside you!Ó , declared a tall man standing below and to the right of the judge, ÒEither crime is sufficient to merit the most painful punishment this court is capable of delivering. Do you have anything to say in your defense?Ó

ÒOnly that I wish that I had gone through with the assassination before that traitor Nacra had caught on to my plan!Ó , Verdune said with a cocky grin that showed no remorse or guilt, ÒWe Saiyans have lived by a code since the dawn of our civilization, the strong survive and the weak perish. If my father was truly fit to lead he would not be afraid to fight me for possession of the throne instead of resorting to this mockery of a court. This all but confirms my suspicions that my fatherÕs only true power is his ability to dupe the rest of you into following him!Ó

This only fed the crowdÕs anger and made them yell even louder but this only made Prince Verdune smile even more arrogantly. Faith instantly began to like this guy since he seemed to like authority about as much as she did and wasnÕt afraid of showing it. True she was usually a bit more tactful about when she did give people some sass but for some reason she was not afraid of the people around her. In fact she felt compelled to follow the PrinceÕs lead and tell this court exactly what she thought of it but stopped as the ÔbalifÕ walked up to Verdune and punched him across the face. Verdune didnÕt even move, from head to toe he had stayed perfectly in place as if nothing at all had happened to him. Once the balif had removed his fist a slight smudge of blood could be seen at the corner of VerduneÕs mouth bit that was all as far as an external sign of the blow went as far as anyone could tell. This seemed to momentarily unnerve the balif but he quickly regained his composure and returned to his position to the right of the judge.

ÒWe will take this as an admission of your guilt and hereby sentence you to life imprisonment at the end of which you will be tortured to death.Ó , the judge stated in a failed attempt to intimidate Verdune, ÒAs for the low caste woman and your offspring-Ò

Before the judge could complete his deliberations the tall steel doorways of the courtroom opened and a procession of royal soldiers marched in and immediately moved to strategically premium spots. For awhile it seemed as though the line of soldiers would never end or explain their reason for interrupting these proceedings but then the reason quickly became apparent. For after all the guards arrived at their positions three figures strode into the room and immediately silence filled the room. The first and most easily recognizable was the king of the Saiyan race himself King Verax, a tall man with a long beard draped over his royal armor who walked with fearless pride and power. Next to him strode Braia, Queen of the Saiyan people and wife to Verax, a woman slightly shorter than her husband but no less impressive in terms of physical condition. Lastly came the head of the royal guard Trex who was clearly dedicated to his work as he was constantly scanning the room for potential threats to his king. They were the most important people on the planet and when they attended any sort of gathering everyone knew something big was going to happen.

ÒYour Highness! I was unaware that you had returned to the planet!Ó , the judge exclaimed as if his job had gotten quite a bit more complicated, ÒI w-was just about to finish pronouncing sentence on Prince Verdune and the others when you came in! He has quite eloquently confessed to the plot to assassinate you and genetic testing proves that he had the child Vera with the low caste warrior Barda.Ó

ÒI am quite aware of what has happened here today. I have been watching the proceeds since they started and have decided to deal with the matter myself.Ó King Verax said as he walked ahead of his group and came to a stop between the judge and the Prince.

This caused the whispers and murmering in the room to go up a decibel as everyone tried to determine what their King would do with his traitorous son. Most seemed confident that the King would condone the judgeÕs sentence and just make it a bit more personal with a few biting remarks. Others were concerned that the King might actually pardon his son and let him off the hook. This was unlikely they realized because the one thing that Verdune had nailed right on the head was that Saiyan society was ruled by power. Only the most powerful Saiyan was allowed to rule and if Verax showed mercy to his son here he would appear weak in the eyes of his people. That would inevitably lead to assassination attempts if not whole-hearted attempts to force him from the throne by the other nobles. Then there were a few people in the audience that were utterly clueless as to why the King was here and waited patiently for an explanation to be set before them. Everyone watched as the King stared down his son and looked over Vera and Barda as if he were evaluating them as well as deciding how they should be killed. Finally he walked up until he was standing practically nose-to-nose with his sun and both stared into the othersÕ eyes trying to intimidate the other into looking away. 

ÒI must say that I was surprised when I heard what you had been up to my son.Ó , Verax said in a regal and superior tone, ÒNot that you were planning to assassinate me but rather that you actually trusted a kiss up like Nacra with that information. You should have kept the plans to yourself and waited for the right moment to present itself.Ó

ÒMaybe all this is just another part of my plan Father.Ó , Verdune proposed as a sinister grin appeared on his face, ÒMaybe I was just waiting for the right audience before I sprung my trap.Ó

ÒHA! That would be quite inventive wouldnÕt it and definitely in keeping with your own unique style.Ó , Verax said in amusement as he looked at his son with an identical grin, ÒStill I doubt you anticipated that I would bring my own personal guards along otherwise you would have ensured that a few of your own supporters were present.Ó

ÒWhoÕs to say that there arenÕt a few of my supporters in the crowd?Ó , Verdune retorted without losing an ounce of confidence, ÒPerhaps theyÕre just waiting for a signal from me before taking care of all of your **pathetic** soliders!Ó

This caused the King to gaze about the room in an effort to determine who in the crowd might be a warrior of VerduneÕs and who was just a spectator. In the end though Verax simply returned his gaze to his son as though he had detected nothing to support his sonÕs claim. It was then that King Verax of the Saiyan race did something that startled everyone present who didnÕt possess some kind of military discipline, he ordered his personal guard to leave. This was an unusual move since it seemed to only strengthen the confessed traitorÕs position and make the King more vulnerable. Fortunately the assembled Saiyans didnÕt have to wait long before everything was explained in blatantly obvious terms.

ÒI over heard your challenge earlier and IÕve decided to grant your request.Ó , King Verax stated, ÒYou and I will fight right here and right now. The winner will gain the throne of the Saiyan race and the loser will perish! Is this acceptable?Ó

Needless to say that this completely floored the other Saiyans present except for the two others who had accompanied the King. Many could not understand why the King was doing this traitor any favors regardless of the fact that Verdune was his son. Many thought that he should have simply allowed the trial to proceed and leave it at that but a few others were actually curious about who would win such a fight. Father and Son had not fought one another since the Great Games fifteen years ago and many were wondering who would win this time around.

ÒClear the courtroom!Ó , Verax commanded, ÒPlace guards at every exit though in case my son decides to run away once he realizes just how powerful I am.Ó

ÒHa! I wonÕt be the one that runs away in fear Father!Ó Verdune boasted as he ripped his cape from his shoulders and began to stretch.

ÒWe shall see.Ó Verax countered as he too removed his cape along with anything else that might interfere with his ability to fight.

Faith had been watching this entire exchange with Great fascination but the dŽjˆ vu feeling at the back of her mind coupled with the question of where she was kept her from completely enjoying the moment. She had never liked not being totally aware of what was going on around her and this situation had that in an abundance. At least back home in Sunnydale she knew why she was there and what she had to do each day but here she was completely in the dark. All she could do was watch and try to understand what was going on around her as best she could given the fogginess in her mind. In her mind fighting over who was going to be King, assassination attempts and the idea that only the strong should be allowed to live was wrong but at the same time a part of her agreed. It was like a tiny voice in the back of her mind that spit out the odd comment to her when important events appeared before her and helped explain certain things. It wasnÕt like telepathy, she had experienced that once or twice since becoming the Slayer, it was more like a part of her own mind that had been silent up until now was finally allowed to speak. The words themselves were whispers but the emotions that went along with them came through loud and clear making it easier to get the basic gist of what was being said at each given moment. Watching the scene developing before her she watched as the two combatants, father and son, went into their respective fighting stances.

ÒLast chance to back down son.Ó Verax said condescendingly.

ÒI was about to say the same thing to you father.Ó Verdune stated with a grin that reeked of confidence.

With that the battle was joined as both threw punches and kicks with amazing power and speed that was almost too fast for her to follow. What surprised her a little was that they werenÕt really paying any heed to the damage they were doing to the room or the people that got fried by a dodged energy blast. She knew that they would be fighting but she thought that it would be like her fights with Buffy, full contact but neither willing to do any serious harm to the other. This was more like an actual battle and she began to understand that the Saiyan culture was a lot like a pack of wolves or some other predatory animal. When a male challenged the Alpha it was a challenge to the death and if any of their number became to ill to keep up with the others they were left to die. It was harsh but it kept the race strong and strength was the one thing that Saiyans respected above all else.

The battle continued to rage on above them as one of them kicked the other into a wall then the other fired off a blast of energy that scorched the first. It was then that something occurred to Faith, they werenÕt really going all out with each other. It was difficult to really tell but when she examined their fighting closely enough she could tell that they were pulling their punches and missing with their blasts on purpose. It was then that the truth hit her, King Verax and Prince Verdune were just putting on a show for the audience around them. Reviewing the fight from the beginning she tried to put a name to the Saiyans who were fried by energy blasts or knocked senseless by a kick. She soon came to realize that each of them were among those who had called for VerduneÕs execution or had at one time questioned VeraxÕs decisions. Her jaw almost dropped with amazement as she realized that they were just using this battle as a cover so they could eliminate their perspective enemies. Neither of them had any intention of killing the other but they both seemed to know that they had to make it look good or the others would catch on to the deception. That only left her with trying to deduce the end goal that the both of them seemed to be working towards. Destroying their enemies was obviously not the end of it since that could have been done outside the trial itself but then what else could it be? Neither looked as though they intended to kill one another yet there was no other way that their individual interests could be served. If King Verax didnÕt kill Verdune than his position as ruler of the Saiyan race would be weakened significantly but if Verdune didnÕt kill his Father he would be forced to submit to whatever punishment was to be meted out to a traitor and his accomplices. It appeared to her that they were at an impasse but the voice within her said that it was confident that Verdune had something sneaky up his sleeve.

Then it happened, Verdune landed an especially powerful blow to Verax that sent him shooting straight through the courtroom wall and through several others from the sound of it. However instead of following up on that attack he whirled around and began to blast the guards blocking the window above him as well as those who were close enough to take their places. Once they were done he turned and gave a look to his wife Barda which the woman seemed to understand in an instant as she grabbed Faith by the wrist and immediately took to the sky following her husband. Once they were out Faith could see Verdune dispatching the guards that attempted to stop them while continuing to move towards what looked like a landing pad of some kind. It was then that Faith realized what was going on, they were all going to escape on a ship, take it into space and find someplace safe to live. There was already a ship there and she could see from the markings on it that it was the one Verax must have come in before heading to the courtroom. Getting there was going to be a problem since more and more guards seemed to appear for every group of five that Prince Verdune defeated. Suddenly a swell of impatience seemed to come up from within her and she felt compelled to fight alongside the Father of the girl whose body she was experiencing this through. Tugging her hand free of Barda she immediately began to tear into the guards that approached her, using techniques similar to the ones that Verdune was using.

She was doing pretty good and meter by meter they were getting closer to the ship that would be their only means of getting away in one piece. She felt exhilarated and at the same time insulted as the soldiers that attacked her seemed pathetically weak and far too easy to defeat. She wanted someone who was more of a challenge, someone who she could take pride in defeating and would cause her father to praise her skills. It was at that moment, when that thought passed through her mind, that she seemed to get her wish as she was slammed from behind by a particularly powerful energy blast. It took her a few moments to recover but once she did it didnÕt take her long to recognize the person who had attacked her and the motive behind the attack. It was Narya, NacraÕs second in command and one whom the voice in her head seemed especially hate as Faith fired a retaliatory strike back at her attacker. Images briefly flitted by her mindÕs eye and she saw the woman laughing at her cruely and then another with Faith apparently fighting Narya. The images went by so fast that she almost couldnÕt make sense of them but fate had decided not to give her time to examine them further as things were becoming increasingly more complicated. The size of the forces gathering against them was growing and they still had a little while to go before they reached the ship. Still it appeared that all three of the fugitives, herself included, had something of a stubborn streak in them as they continued fighting towards their target. In a testament to their skill and outright luck they eventually manage to make it to the entrance of the ship but the fight had taken their toll on all of them. Both Faith/Vera and Barda were bleeding badly and most of their armor had been blasted to pieces leaving only Verdune to deal with the more powerful among their pursuers. Taking up a guarding position Verdune motioned to Barda to take Vera/Faith aboard the ship and get it ready while he kept their attackers at bay.

ÒNo! I want to stay and help Dad fight!Ó She said in protest as she tried to get free from BardaÕs grasp.

ÒYour Father has everything under control Vera! Now help me get this ship working!Ó Barda said as she yanked Vera/Faith into a seat next to her own before getting to work on the console before her.

Looking once more at the hatch to the ship she aquiesed to her motherÕs command and began to work the console like she had known how to all her life. All about her screens began to light up and she could hear the sound of the shipÕs engines beginning to power up. In the background though she could hear the battle raging outside as Verdune struggled to buy them the time that they needed. However it was getting worse and it seemed for all intents and purposes that their little escape attempt would fail and all of them would wind up dead. Then from nowhere massive energy blasts came out of the nearby forest and took out a good chunk of the guards that were giving Verdune so much trouble. Vera/Faith tried to see through the cockpit window to see who was helping them to escape but whoever it was had hidden themselves well in the trees. Whatever the reason for this assistance it had given the Prince the opening that they needed as without hesitation Verdune threw himself into the ship and closed the hatch with his foot. Not waiting for a verbal command Barda immediately piloted the ship into the air and gunned the engines forcing Vera/Faith back into her seat. The engines screamed in protest as they were pushed to their limits and before too long the ship succeeded in escaping from the planetÕs gravitational field.

With everything seemingly alright Vera/Faith got out of her seat and ran back to check on Verdune. He was sitting propped up against the back wall of the ship with a grimace on his face that showed that he was in significant pain. Pausing for a moment Vera/Faith looked around the ship for the familiar shape of the med-kit and once found she quickly grabbed it before resuming her course for her father. Once she arrived the opened up the kit and immediately began to treat his wounds as she had been taught when she was younger. She winced slightly as her own wounds protested the excessive movement but she pushed it aside like her father had taught her to and continued with her task.

ÒYou did very well Vera, IÕm proud of you.Ó Verdune said with an uncharacteristically kind smile.

She smiled at Verdune before continuing with her work, the concern that had gripped her during battle evaporating into thin air. She now had no fear of what would come next because she was certain that they could handle it as long as they were together.

ÒWhat are we going to do now? TheyÕre bound to send pursuit ships after us.Ó Barda asked from the pilotÕs chair.

ÒWe canÕt hide within the empire, it would only be too easy for them to track us down that way.Ó , Verdune pondered as he considered their situation, ÒSet course zero-two-one-five mark six, best speed.Ó

ÒHuh? You mean to take us out into the Unknown Territories?Ó , Barda asked with concern, ÒNo oneÕs ever returned from that area of space.Ó

ÒExactly! Which means that it is unlikely that they will try to follow us in there if they have any sense.Ó , Verdune replied with a grimace as Vera/Faith touched a sore spot, ÒWe should be able to find at least one suitable world for us to settle down on.Ó

For a moment it seemed as though Barda might question her husbandÕs decision further but then she just shrugged and resumed her piloting of the craft. For better or worse they were set on the course laid out before them and the only thing they could do was try and ride it out. 

Capsule Corps, 8:15p.m 

It bugged Vegita to no end the feelings and impressions he got whenever he looked at the box the human Pierce had brought with him. He couldnÕt explain why he felt this way but he was certain that he remembered seeing that box before someplace when he was very young. He had automatically recognized his familyÕs crest that had been carved into the metal and that was what had originally piqued his interest but the more time went on the more he felt a nagging sensation at the back of his mind. It was as if a long forgotten memory was fighting to get to the surface of his mind and he was feeling the shockwaves of each blow it landed. It frustrated him to feel just as much in the dark as the rest of these fools, especially since the item of interest was from his own home world, but he was confident that all would become clear soon. 

ÒThe group of warriors and mages traveled all through the night to reach their destination because each of them held the same fear that a Demon Lord had returned.Ó , explained the human known as Watcher One, ÒIt was four days later that they finally arrived at the point of impact where the ball of fire had landed but the beings they found were unlike anything they had ever encountered before.Ó

ÒThey looked, for the most part, human but the tails that came out of their backs and wrapped around their waists made it clear they were not. Clad in armor and wearing strange devices on the side of the heads they bore little resemblance to the demons they had fought in the past but all could feel the power they possessed. The other thing that the forces of man noticed was a strange metallic structure that lay nearby half buried in the ground. It was almost completely black as though it had been exposed to extreme heat and this confirmed for the warriors that this was indeed the ball of fire which had fallen from the sky.Ó

This immediately captivated the PrinceÕs attention as the ÔdemonsÕ described in the story were obviously Saiyan warriors but this bit of information also raised more questions within him. To his knowledge Kakarot and Raditz had been the first Saiyans to come to this world in any capacity. Before that time most of the systems in this region of space had been largely unknown to his people and when the Saiyan people had come under the dominion of Freeza and King Cold exploring those areas had become irrelevant. Still the fact that this tale involved his people definitely made matters better than they were before and he hoped that he would learn the names of these Saiyan warriors sooner or later.

ÒThe group of strangers consisted of a man, a woman and a small girl who was perhaps no more than eight years old. The defenders of Earth had no time to further scrutinize their quarry as almost immediately the man of the group turned around and looked directly at them.Ó , Watcher One explained with the skill of an experienced storyteller, ÒYears of fighting the demon scourge had left many of the warriors and a few of the mages a bit jumpy and when their position had been compromised they immediately went on the attack. The warriors went in first with their swords and battle axes while the mages hung back a bit and began preparing their offensive spells.Ó

ÒThe battle was a fierce one with the human forcesÕ numbers being the only advantage working in their favor at the moment. The three strangers were powerful, capable of flight and firing great blasts of energy from their hands utterly destroying some warriors while tearing up the terrain when they missed. In the end only five warriors and four mages survived the battle against the strangers but they had emerged victorious as the man and the woman were dead. The only one to survive was the eight year old girl and she was seriously injured by the battle.Ó

Vegita frowned as he thought of two Saiyan warriors and presumably their daughter had been defeated by a small group of humans. If he had been in their place he would have been humiliated that such weaklings had managed to defeat him and welcomed death since to live with the shame would have been unbearable. Still this bit of information was helpful as it helped him in the search of his memories since the nagging feeling had only gotten worse had the story gone on. Trying to piece this together was like trying to remember what strategy he had used to complete a particular training scenario back when he was a child. He knew that he would eventually remember but it was time consuming indeed. 

ÒIn other battles there had been no exceptions in terms of who could be killed and who could not and that extended to children as well.Ó , Watcher One stated much to the horror of the majority of his listeners, ÒHowever just as one of the warriors was about to deal the fatal blow to the child he was stopped by the highest ranking member of the group. This solider had just had a flash of insight and believed that the girl could be of far more use to them alive rather than dead. After a brief period of arguing the girl was securely bound by both magic and metal and carried back to the headquarters of the human forces.Ó

ÒUpon their arrival they were immediately escorted to the great hall where the leaders of the human race were waiting for their report. The prisoner was brought with them at the insistence of the leader of the returning group and once all were present the leader of the party explained to his leaders his idea. He proposed that instead of having countless human soldiers hunt down and deal with the remaining demons why not this one girl fight in their place. He described the power that this child had exhibited in battle as well as the difficulty they had in subduing the parents and this caused the council of leaders to look favorably upon his plan.Ó

This last portion of information caused just about everyone to listen with dread with the members of the Scoobies affected to a greater degree than the others. They had expected that they might hear some disturbing facts when they had been told that they would hear about the true origins of the Slayer line but this was more than they had expected. The First Slayer was actually a Saiyan and she had not decided to defend humanity of her own free will? This was almost too much to bear and they hoped that the remainder of the information that Watcher One had to divulge would help them come to terms with what had come beforehand. For the Z-Fighters, especially the Saiyans, they were angry that the ancestors of the Watchers Council had been a party to something like this even though Buffy, Faith and Dawn were their friends. Vegita in particular was doing his best to restrain the compulsion he had to locate the Watchers CouncilÕs HQ and blow it into atoms. 

ÒYes I am afraid that the Watchers Council has more than a few amoral black marks on its record.Ó , Watcher One said with a tinge of guilt in his voice, ÒIn the months that followed the mages and the best warriors from around the world attempted to change the child into the protector of the human race they wanted her to be but they failed. The child was ferocious in her resistance, nothing they promised her with or threatened her with persuaded her to behave.Ó

ÒThey tried the more brutal methods of persuasion but it quickly became clear that this would not only fail but would prove dangerous to them. With every beating she received she became stronger once the wounds had healed and thus harder to contain. Another problem that presented itself was how long they would need their newest warrior and what would have to be done if the need exceeded her lifespan. In the end it was decided that a powerful magic would be needed to solve both problems and it wasnÕt long before a solution was found.Ó

ÒThe restraining spell you mentioned earlier?Ó Willow asked with a mixture of curiousity and horror.

ÒYes. That and another spell were used to meet their needs and solve their problems.Ó , Watcher One said with a nod as he continued with his tale, ÒThe restraining spell would make her appear more human and keep her power at a level that would make her easier to control without decreasing her fighting potential. It would also suppress the memories she had of her previous life which would leave her a blank slate for them to work with.Ó

ÒAs for the other spell it dealt specifically with the replication of living organisms, essentially an arcane version of cloning. A duplicate of the Slayer would be made and placed with a surrogate family allowing her to lead a relatively normal life and become attached to the people in her life. When the active Slayer died the duplicates powers would be activated and an agent of the council would arrive to inform her of her duties.Ó

ÒWhy did they decide to clone her? CouldnÕt they have simply let her do it the natural way?Ó Xander asked as he tried to wrap his head around the concepts he was being presented with every few moments.

ÒTrue it would have been easier but it would also have presented an unacceptable risk.Ó , Watcher One replied with a bit of surprise in his voice at the boyÕs question, ÒIf the first Slayer had been allowed to mate with a human in order to continue the line all those that followed her would be less powerful than she was as the Saiyan blood became diluted. Not only that but there was every chance that one or more of the SlayerÕs children would escape from the CouncilÕs sight and there would be no telling what that would bring about unchecked.Ó

ÒThe Council decided that it was for the best that they be in control of the Slayer line and who would become the next one.Ó

ÒHow could they do that? ItÕs not like they could stop her if she decided to É you know É with the person she loved.Ó Willow asked with a slight blush.

ÒAh but they could. In the past the Watcher assigned to each Slayer has been told to keep his or her charge focused on her job and do whatever was necessary to that end.Ó , explained Watcher One, ÒWith the exception of Rupert and a few others most Watchers were successful in preventing any intimate relationships from progressing to that point. In the event that it did happen a contraceptive of some kind was placed in the SlayerÕs food to prevent procreation.Ó

Needless to say this floored those listening and angered more than a few as they tried to comprehend how anyone to treat the Slayers like animals. After all many of the things they had done were being done to animals today from dogs to horses without even a second thought. For Giles it was nothing short of the destruction of his entire way of life for while he was not particularly fond of the Watchers CouncilÕs current administration he did believe that every Slayer should have a Watcher. He believed that it was necessary for the girl to have a guide into the world she would be entering and becoming a part of but now things were different. Knowing that such unspeakable acts were being committed since the founding of the Watchers Council and that were it not for his feelings for Buffy he might have done the same things was almost more than he could bear. As for the others they too were feeling more than a bit ill at the news and more determined than ever to do something about the Watchers Council.

ÒFor the next millennia the Slayer line continued this way with the Watchers Council monitoring and controlling it all from their headquarters.Ó , Watcher One said with some difficulty, ÒSoon however a problem arose that threatened to destroy their plans when the duplicates began to exhibit slight variations in their appearances and in some cases their personalities. I am sure that Ms. Rosenberg and Mr. Giles can guess why this was happening and how it could seriously undermine the plans of the Council.Ó

ÒDNA degradation?Ó Willow asked with a fair amount of confidence in her answer.

Giles nodded indicating that his answer was the same as the Wicca in training.

ÒYes. As is the case with cloning using modern scientific methods the more you replicate something the more distorted each copy becomes. It is like taking something and photocopying it and then photocopying the photocopy, eventually things begin to distort and change.Ó , Watcher One said with a satisfied grin, ÒWhile the arcane cloning process was a bit better in producing an copy of the original it too began to fail the mages of the Council. They tried numerous methods of correcting the problem but they met with little success and were soon forced by terrible circumstances to take drastic action.Ó

ÒWhat terrible circumstances?Ó Trunks asked with a bit of suspicion.

ÒThe destruction of Atlantis.Ó Replied Watcher One.

ÒWHAT!?Ó everyone exclaimed in surprise and disbelief.

ÒYes you heard correctly. Up until the time of its destruction the island of Atlantis was the primary base of operations for the entire Watchers Council. It contained almost all of the CouncilÕs most important artifacts and records going back almost to the very beginning of the war with the Ancient Ones.Ó , Watcher One explained carefully, ÒAs the legend goes in the space of a single night the island was destroyed and everything on it sank to the bottom of the sea. The idea that the Atlanteans brought about their own destruction was also not far from the truth if you look at it from a certain point of view.Ó

ÒIt happened when the Watchers Council decided to try and extend the length of time that the restraining spell on the Slayer would last. They felt that the age of twenty one was too short a time since it allowed for only six or seven years of service per Slayer and was thought to be a contributing factor of the DNA degradation. Tragically the plan failed and when the experimental Slayer reached the age of twenty-three she began to revert at a rapid pace back into a Saiyan. This left the young woman confused and more than a little upset as she tried to understand what was happening to her and getting no answers from the Watchers present. Determined to get some answers she traveled to Atlantis to confront the leaders of the Watchers Council in person.Ó

ÒThe Slayer destroyed Atlantis?!Ó Xander blurted out in the form of a question.

ÒQuick on the pick-up arenÕt you?Ó , Watcher One asked with amusement, ÒYes, the experimental Slayer was the cause of AtlantisÕ destruction. When they were confronted with her ever growing power the leaders of the Council disclosed everything they knew in a foolish attempt to save their lives.Ó

ÒHowever instead of satisfying the young warriorÕs curiosity it destroyed what control she had in her powers and her emotions. She became the embodiment of destruction as she began to destroy all that existed around her in a massive display of power. Everyone there ran in terror as they tried to escape the carnage and a few were coherent enough to try and save some of the artifacts stored on the island. In the end though the entire island was laid to waste with barely any members of the Council managing to get away in time. As for the Slayer she was destroyed as well, consumed by the power she wielded as it grew beyond her ability to control it.Ó

Looking around the room the sliver of a soul could see that everyone had just missed the turn on that one and were still trying to catch up with what he was telling them. He sympathized with them, after all to have all this information dumped on them in a matter of hours was a bit much to digest. Add that to the fact that the information was crucial to three of their best friends and comrades and it was a wonder they were handling things as well as they were at the moment. Still there was one more bombshell to be dropped and he had a feeling that it would be the hardest thing of all for them to accept.

ÒAfter that the survivors of the disaster never again attempted to lengthen the amount of time that they could restrain the Saiyan properties of their Slayers. Instead they took a far more permanent course of action that would ensure that nothing like Atlantis would happen again.Ó Watcher One explained as gently as he could.

Unfortunately the grown-ups in the group had already jumped ahead of him and were visibly angry at what was about to be divulged. The young ones though were still waiting to be told what the others knew although their reaction would likely be the same.

ÒAs most of you have no doubt been told the average life expectancy of a Slayer is twenty-one years of age. At that time most Slayers have either sacrificed themselves to save the world or gotten into a situation that they were unprepared to deal with and thus were killed in the altercation.Ó , Watcher One explained as he seemed to brace himself for what was to come next, ÒWhat you have not been told was that almost all of those deaths were arranged in advance by the Watchers Council. In each instance crucial bits of information were concealed from the Slayer by her Watcher or by the ruling council itself in order to ensure that she would not survive the battle ahead.Ó

ÒAfter the Atlantis disaster the Council was determined never to allow a Slayer to live past the age of twenty-one again. They were terrified that if they did not arrange for the SlayerÕs death she would revert to her Saiyan self and obliterate thousands of people as the experimental one had done. That, Rupert, was the real reason why you were removed as BuffyÕs Watcher when you interfered in the test. The Council believed that with your emotional attachment to her you would be unable to go through with her termination when the time came around. That is the true reason why all Watchers were instructed to remain detached from the Slayers in their custody.Ó

For the next few minutes the entire room was silent, not a word was said as everyone tried to come to grips with what they had been told. For the members of the Z-Team it was horrible to think that generations upon generations of young warriors had been bred, trained and then killed by one selfish group of people. Regardless of their situation no one from Bulma to Goku believed that the Council had been justified in what they had done to Saiyan girl and her family. If Buffy and the others were any indication of what the other Slayer girls were like than a great injustice had been done. Vegita in particular was furious that one of his people had been treated even worse than he, Raditz and Nappa had been treated by Freeza. At least they knew who and what they were when they came into the service of the powerful warlord but the Slayers had even their past stolen from them. For the Scoobie gang the crime was much more personal since the founding of their very group was brought about by Buffy. She was their leader but more than that she was their bestest and closest friend in the world. For Giles it was like learning that his daughter had been subjected to experiments without his knowledge and made even more painful by the fact that he had been a party to it all. It didnÕt matter that the important bits of information had been conveniently kept from him, the very fact that he had once been a part of their organization was enough to make him loathe himself. After about twenty minutes Giles returned his attention to Watcher One and decided to ask one more question of the shard of soul.

ÒWill Buffy and the others also lose control like the experimental Slayer did?Ó Giles asked as he almost had to force the words from his mouth.

ÒI do not believe so Rupert.Ó , Watcher One replied with a shake of his head, ÒUnlike the experimental Slayer Buffy, Faith and Dawn have you all to look to for support and comfort. The Slayer that destroyed Atlantis had no one to turn to when she began to undergo the changes, none that explain to her what was happening and even fewer who could help her endure them. In the end it was her isolation that caused her to go mad, her separation from society and from her own Watcher. As long as all of you are there to support her and guide her through this turning point in her life I believe that all will turn out alright.Ó

It was then, when the last word was spoken that, chaos chose to rear itÕs ugly head as the wall to right of them exploded inward in a storm of debris and fire. Those that could sense energy had felt it coming but only had enough time to place their bodies between the wall and their loved ones before it happened. There was coughing and choking aplenty as those in the room attempted to regain their senses and determine what had just happened but none of them expected the cause to come walking up to them. At first it was impossible to see anything through the smoke but as the figures got closer they became easier to see. There were six of them in total varying in shape, size and gender all the way across but there was no doubt that they were responsible as each of them had a glowing fist extended in front of them. Five of them stopped just outside the house but the female form in the center continued forward until her identity was clear to both the Z-fighters and the Scoobie gang.

ÒOh, I assure you, nobody is going to be alright by the time IÕm through with you!Ó declared Glory, the Beast, triumphantly as she stood smiling in the gaping hole in the living room wall.


	14. When things go from bad to WORSE!

Note: Okay. First I must beg your forgiveness for taking so damn long to put out the next chapter of "Revelations, Repercussions and Robots Oh My!". I have no real good excuses except that I had to prepare to go away to College and once I finished getting settled in my schoolwork kept me pretty occupied. Add this to the job of sharing an apartment with my sister and I'm afraid I haven't been able to devote adequate time to my fanfics. At the moment though I have something of a breather in my school schedule so I have decided to get as many new chapters written up as possible. I will also be trying to get my other fanfics further along at the same time but no promises. In any case here is the next chapter of this fanfic.

**__**

Across the Street from Capsule Corporation Headquarters, 9:00p.m 

            "Excellent. Everything is going precisely as planned." Watcher Seven thought as he watched the fight begin from a safe distance.

            The Beast, Glorificus, was behaving precisely as he had expected her to and it was only a matter of time before both sides destroyed one another. While he was confident that his androids would ensure the demise of the Saiyans and other non-humans he doubted very much that Glory would fare much better. After all he had ordered his mechanical minions that once their primary targets had been destroyed that they were to terminate Glory immediately. After all he was not blind to the power and evil that the insane demon in human's clothing represented. That was why he intended from the beginning to destroy her one way or the other and thanks to the information he was able to acquire about her unique symbiosis with a certain young man named Ben it could be done. After all the arcane enhancements he and his followers had done to Androids 21 through 27 made them vastly superior to any who came before them. He doubted even that abomination Cell could defeat them if he were still alive and that meant that a half powered ex-hell goddess would be no trouble whatsoever. 

            Returning his attention to the battle he could see that the Saiyans had already transformed into Super Saiyans and were engaging his androids. It would be amusing to watch them slowly realize just how outmatched they truly were and how soon they would meet their ends. Just then he caught a glimmer of magic appear on the periphery of his senses and turned to see Rupert and his gang of punks setting up various arcane items. He sighed in annoyance at the sight before him. He found it ridiculous that they thought their puny magic could be of any assistance in the battle ensuing over their heads. Granted the young girl Willow had the potential to become a great sorceress but she was still years away from realizing that potential. Despite completely believing in what he had just asserted he could not help but recall how they had managed the joining spell that had allowed the Slayer to defeat the cyber-demon Adam. That was a particularly dangerous spell that they did and one only a handful of mages in the Watcher's Council had been able to perform. At the time he had assumed that it had been the combination of Rupert's experience with Miss Rosenburg's power that had allowed it to be successful. In any case being able to do such a spell put them at a level of skill that could prove dangerous to him in the future. Better to deal with them now then wait until they became even more formidable than he and his followers could handle.

            Motioning to the others with him he began to stride across the street towards the hole in the wall that Glory had made her entrance with moments before. As he walked he began to chant the words for a binding spell which he intended to use to restrain these meddling interlopers. Once prevented from making the correct hand gestures or mixing the proper ingredients the number of spells they would be able to invoke would be minimal. Then all that would be left to do was wait until the Saiyans and the Namek  were destroyed so that they could finish off Glorificus. He and his group had almost reached the hole in the wall when some noise or another alerted those inside to their approach. Reacting instantly he threw the binding spell into their midst causing it to explode outwards instantly wrapping their limbs in bands of energy. All of them tried to wrench themselves free or neutralize the spell but it was to no avail as all they accomplished was tiring themselves out. Secure in the idea that it was safe to enter he and his forces began to take strategic positions around the room with his more powerful mages positioning themselves to reinforce the binding spell.

            "Watcher Seven I presume?" Rupert asked with venom and hate obvious in his voice. 

            "Oh please Rupert, call me Quentin." Quentin Travers aka Watcher Seven said as he removed his hood.

            The look on the ex-Watcher was priceless and Travers took a moment to revel in it before deciding it was time to deal with a loose end. Looking around he quickly located the sacred box that had for so long been kept hidden in the most secure vault ever created by man or magic. Hovering above it was the ghostly image of Watcher One who was currently shaking his head in disappointment. The old man always did that whenever Watcher Seven had made a suggestion regarding the Slayers in the past and it irritated him to no end. It was then with a swift thrust of his hand he sent out a blast of mystical energy at the box which caused the ghost to shatter with a shriek as the spell that created it was destroyed.

            "Well, that was satisfying." , Travers said with a smug grin, "Not as satisfying as the real thing but that will happen all in good time."

            "Travers! What is the meaning of this?" Giles demanded with fury that can only be spawned through betrayal in his eyes.

            "The meaning, 'old friend', is the end of alien interference in human affairs." , Travers answered with conviction, "The meaning is that I will no longer tolerate the existence of the lie that the Council has for so long perpetuated. The meaning is that I intend to obliterate the last remnants of the Saiyan race once and for all and toss in a Namek just for kicks."

            This silenced just about everyone in the room who was not aligned with him and this made him smile. All too often when he tried to explain his reasons for trying to destroy the Slayer line they almost immediately afterwards called him insane, He had not doubt that they would eventually use the word but for the moment they were too shocked to say anything coherent.

            "With things proceeding the way they are I would say that my victory is almost at hand." , Travers said briefly turning his head to look at the battle going on in the sky above, "With the combined power of my androids and Glory's own forces it shouldn't be too long before the Saiyans, their offspring and the Namek are destroyed."

            "Your Androids? Don't you mean Doctor Gero's  androids?" Bulma asked with a mixture of anger and confusion in her voice.

            "Oh Dr. Gero of the Red Ribbon Army did design and construct them but they are as much mine as his once you review all the facts." , Travers replied with a smile, "What? Don't tell me you thought that Gero constructed his androids entirely on his own do you?"

            "After the Red Ribbon Army was defeated almost all of their assets were seized by the current government and its members arrested." , Travers explained calmly, "On his own it would have taken Gero forever to gather the funding and materials needed to construct his androids. Fortunately I discovered his genius while investigating Goku's activities and immediately began to fund his work concerning the creation of the two most powerful warriors in existence. It was my hope that once they had destroyed the Saiyan they could be mass produced to protect the world from threats equal or greater than the Saiyan people."

            This bit of information thankfully shut them up once again as they tried to digest the information they had been given. He grinned slightly as he tried to predict the  reactions they would have to the rest of the information that he had to convey to them. Being so close to victory he saw no point in not revealing everything, well almost everything since he would keep the most vital information to himself. He didn't believe that they would be able to do anything to alter the destiny that was manifesting itself around them but his own experience made it clear that miracles do happen.

            "You were responsible for those things?!" Master Roshi asked in shock and anger.

            "Oh not just for the androids but also that nasty little heart virus that was supposed to have killed off Goku a month before androids 19 and 20 showed themselves." , Travers explained as he pretended to give the room a cursory evaluation, "Didn't you ever wonder why Goku remained among the living up until then? After the Trunks from the future related his tale to your champion I knew that if my virus was to be successful it would need to be altered to render the cure useless."

            "Unfortunately if Goku was to be infected before Gero completed his androids and activated them I had to hurry and release the virus. In retrospect I should have taken more time to work out the bugs but fortunately I had a back-up plan in the forms of Androids 17 and 18." , Travers said walking about the room, "Their decision to rebel against the good doctor was no accident or glitch in their programming. I instructed them to do so because I believed that they would be more effective if they were free of that lunatic's control. He may have been a brilliant scientist but he was quite mad and incapable of carrying out his scheme for revenge efficiently."

            "Once they had succeeded in eliminating the Saiyans I would have transmitted the deactivation code and retrieved them for reprogramming. Unfortunately the creature known as Cell appeared and without a suitable means for dealing with him I decided that handing him the androids he sought on silver platter would have been a mistake." , Travers said as he continued his explanation, "So I let them stay online in the hopes that they would be able to stay out of his grasp long enough for me to come up with a way to deal with that monster. Fortunately everything worked out in the end and relative peace was restored to the world. Since then I have been working towards a way to finish what they had started and now that time has come at long last. With Ms. Summers and the other female Saiyans unconscious in the med-bay and the men on the verge of defeat it is only a matter of time before I emerge victorious."

            "I – I don't get it! There has to be more to it than simply wanting to keep aliens out of earthling affairs!" , Videl asked between attempts to break free of her confinement, "Why do you hate them so much? What did they ever do to you?" 

            "What they did was take away my beloved wife not once but twice!!!!!!" , Travers replied in a rare show of rage and fury, "Power attracts power my dear and good inevitably attracts evil to it. Haven't you found it odd that from the moment Goku came to this world as a child this planet has been visited by one great evil after another? Raditz, Vegita, Nappa, Garlic Junior, Frieza, King Cold, the Androids 16 through 20, Cell, Babidi and the monster known as Maijin Buu . Whether the realized it or not they were all drawn to his power like moths to a flame and provoked into unleashing their power on the Earth."

            "Countless times millions upon millions of humans have been massacred by the villains Goku has fought in the past!! Oh you may have thought that by wishing them back to life with the Dragonballs may have made everything all fine and dandy but you forget the principal rule that governs them!" , Travers said with cold anger, "No person who has been revived by the Eternal Dragon once may be revived again. Even when the new set of Dragonballs were created by the young Namekian Dende the same rules applied including the 1 year limit on revivals. Imagine how many people have remained dead because they had been killed more than once because of Goku's enemies or because they were killed so much as a day over one year??!!"

            "My wife was one such victim. A scientist working in this great preview of the future trying to make the world a little bit better for her own kind." , Travers said mournfully as the memories overcame him, "Even after she had been killed and revived the first time she refused to leave for England where she would be safe. When news of her final death had reached me I swore that would not allow anyone else to experience the agony I had gone through. By eradicating the existence of aliens on Earth like the Saiyans and Nameks the forces of evil that will plague the Earth will be lessened and more manageable. No longer will we have to face the likes of Cell or Maijin Buu again."

            "You're insane." Giles said in an even tone that belied what he was truly feeling.

            "Perhaps. However it is an insanity they caused and now they will pay for it with their lives." Travers said as he and his minions looked up.

**__**

The Battlefield, 9:30p.m 

            This is not good! Picollo thought as he once again tried to hit one of the androids with a vicious side-kick but it passed right through the machine that looked like a young man.

            Moments after the kick clear its intended target the android solidified once more and matched the Namek's blow with one of his own kicks. Picollo barely had enough time to raise his arm to block the attack and even then he knew that if he should survive this battle he would be very sore tomorrow. These were definitely the androids that had ambushed him after he had recovered the last dragonball and seeing them coming this time was only marginally improving the odds in his favor. Unless they found a way to eliminate some of their abilities or improve upon their own tactics it was only a matter of time until they were all defeated. Even Goku, Vegita, Gotenks and Gohan were having trouble keeping up with them and they were the most powerful warriors they had on their team. Videl, Pan and Eighteen were doing their best to handle Glory's minions but the stone warriors and goblin like followers were nearly overwhelming them by sheer numbers. If Buffy and the others were awake and in fighting form it might be possible to go on the offensive but they were still unconscious in the med-bay with no sign of waking up anytime soon.

            Looking down at the ground he could see Glory standing amidst the chaos enjoying herself entirely too much while doing nothing to take part in the battle itself. Apparently she was one of those hell goddesses that like to sit back and watch the action from the sidelines instead of getting their hands dirty. That was contrary to his knowledge of her due to his fusion with Kami but this discrepancy only made him nervous as his subconscious tried to figure out what she was waiting for and what she would do when it arrived. Before he could contemplate the matter further a jarring blow to his head brought him back to the fight at hand and he forced his body to stop its rapid descent to the ground. Looking back up he could see the android that he was fighting coming in for another attack but this time Picollo had a trick up his sleeve. Waiting until the android's fist was about to make contact with his face he then sidestepped the blow and extended his left arm straight out. This caught his opponent in a clothesline move that nearly knocked the artificial being's head off and left it momentarily stunned. Wasting no time he powered up an energy blast in his left hand as quickly as he could and once the android's body was upside down with its head pointing to the ground he fired the blast right in its face.

            YES! Picollo thought with a little satisfaction as his attack made contact.

            One of these Androids' favorite moves so far had been to become intangible moments before an attack directed at them was about to hit and then become solid again just in time to deliver a counter attack. A few times before he had managed to get a shot in but these killing machines never fell for the same trick twice which made it difficult to damage them quickly enough. Add that to the fact that they apparently had some sort of regenerating capabilities and you had a situation that had to be resolved quickly. Charging into the cloud of smoke that his attack had caused he tried to locate the android he had been fighting in the hopes that it was still dazed enough for him to get a hit or two in. Lady Luck though seemed to have come to the conclusion that he had used up his quota of luck because no matter which direction he looked in there was no sign of the Android. It was then that he felt the crushing blow to the back of his head sending him plummeting down to the ground. He was mere feet from the ground when he was able to stop himself and recover from the blow which had most certainly been dealt by his android opponent. Darting to the side to avoid the follow up attack that was sure to come he began to consider how any of them would be able to resolve this situation before they started to lose people to these monsters.

            These were definitely different from the earlier models of androids they had fought previous to the end of the Cell games. Their abilities seemed more like magic than technology and that made them more dangerous than he ever thought possible. Throwing himself backward and upwards into the air he let loose with a barrage of Rapid Fire Shots at where he estimated his nemesis was at the moment. Before any of them hit though there was an eruption from the cloud of dust and dirt and he knew that the android he had been fighting had caused it and was well clear of the shots he had fired. Flying towards his quarry as fast as he could he hoped to get a few punches in before his opponent detected his presence. That was not to be the case though since once he got within striking distance of his target it vanished making it impossible to track with even his enhanced senses. Fortunately he didn't have to wait long for the battle to continue as a moment later he sensed a massive displacement of air heading his way and instinctively he shot to the right. Not more than a second after the act a powerful energy blast seared through the spot where he had been and left a nasty hole in his cape. This was getting him nowhere fast and he was running out of ideas.

            Only one thing left to try! Picollo thought as he darted into a bit of cloud cover above him.

            Crossing his arms over his chest he began to prepare himself for the technique he was about to attempt. Bit by bit he collected the energy within himself, he could feel his cells begin to multiply and then in one instant it happened. Where once there was one Picollo there were now three present and all of them were ready to put up a fight. Feeling his adversary approaching he signaled the others to disappear to the side and wait for the right moment. While it was more than likely that the android had detected his use of the tri-form technique he hoped the tin warrior was too cocky to care about the increase in numbers. After all when androids 16, 17, and 18 had come online it had taken someone like Cell to knock some humility and fear into them. Hopefully these androids were still lacking in the humility department because that was the only way that this was going to work. Flying through the air at several times the speed of sound the android exploded at Picollo with a flurry of punches that the Namek was just barely able to endure. One of the downsides to using the tri-form technique that it divided your powers and abilities by three as well as creating two more of you. That meant that Picollo prime was only fighting at one third his maximum power level at the moment which was just barely enough to keep him alive. The android was probably even going easy on him in order to make things more interesting which thankfully worked in the grouchy green guardian's favor.

            Backing himself into position he telepathically communicated with his other selves to do likewise because this was one strategy that had to work. Picollo's inability to fight back only pleased the android even more and made him a bit more playful with his moves. It was when the male android was about to do an exaggerated reverse kick that the Namek made his move by grabbing the foot by the ankle and throwing the android with all the strength he could muster. This sent the metal monster flying uncontrollably through the air which was exactly what was supposed to be happening.

            "NOW! SPECIAL BEAM CANNON FIRE!" Picollo yelled and with all of his power he unleashed his most powerful specialty attack.

            At the same time two other similar attacks were fired from his duplicates from different locations and all of them intersected at the android's precise location. However the three Picollo's didn't wait for the beams to connect before they got together and reunited into their singular form once again. Once united they flew as fast as they could to the most likely place where the Android would rematerialize after teleporting to avoid their/his attacks.  It took a few more seconds than he had predicted but the android appeared right on schedule and completely unaware of what was about to happen. Reacting with reflexes unheard of Picollo slashed downward with all his might and succeeded in chopping off the android's right arm. Then to make sure that the severed appendage couldn't be reattached in some manner the Namek vaporized it with a blast from his mouth. 

            "Congratulations Namek. You have successfully 'disarmed' me." , the male android said with a grin , "Unfortunately it is only a temporary set-back for me and it in no way means you will have any sort of advantage over me."

            With that the battle between the machine and the Namek resumed with no clear winner in sight.

 The Sidelines of the Battlefield, 10:00p.m 

            Willow was subtley trying to undo the spell which prevented her and the others from moving or doing really anything else other than listen to Travers talk his head off.

            Honestly! Does this guy like to hear the sound of his own voice or what!?! She thought to herself as she continued to try one incantation after another.

            Aside from listening to this villain-wannabe mouth off to them the young wicca was also concerned about the battle that was going on outside. She didn't need her wiccan senses to tell her that a great deal of energy was being tossed around out there and it was only a matter of time before it began to move in their direction. From what she had made out of the babbling boob Travers these androids were different from the ones that Gohan had told her about. The other ones were powerful but at the Z-fighters' current power levels Androids 16 through 20 would be swatted aside like flies by even the weakest among them. The fact that the battle was still ongoing made it clear that they were much more powerful and clever than their predecessors. Hopefully though the good guys would turn the tables on them soon so they could be freed from these magic bands of light. While she was more or less comfortable she could tell that a few of the others were less than comfortable due to reasons both personal and obvious. Still that was not what she was worried the most about. Buffy, Faith and Dawn were still unconscious in the med-bay and from Beru's latest diagnosis the chances of them waking up anytime soon was slim.

            Just then she heard the sounds of feet on concrete debris and looked to see what else was coming to make her day very unfun. It was difficult to see through all the smoke and debris that was being kicked up but it didn't sound like the person was in that big of a hurry. It was a casual walk like going to the store for a carton of milk or just to enjoy the fresh air. This sounded very foreign on this loud battlefield with the explosions and the passionate battle cries being issued right and left. After a few moments a shape began to take form in the smoke and it was distinctly feminine in nature although the details and features were still too blurred to figure out who it was coming towards them. Still Travers seemed to be uneasy about this figure and was intently waiting for the person to get closer. Fortunately no one had very long to wait since when the person got to the ten feet mark the smoke that had obscured their features seemed to peel away. The figure was a fairly normal looking teenager but Willow could easily detect the magic within him and deduced that he had to be one of the androids that Travers had brought to kill Goku and the others. Odd though that Travers had become very upset once he saw who stood before him and that didn't make sense if they were under his control.

            "What are you doing here!?!?! I ordered you to remain at the headquarters and guard the last dragonball!!!" Travers exclaimed as he approached the android with the apparent intent of dishing out a serious lecture.

            To this the Android reached into a pouch he had attached to his belt and took out an orange crystal ball with seven small rubies in the shape of stars arranged at it's center.

            "As you can see Watcher Seven the last dragonball is still being guarded and is completely unharmed." The teenage boy said calmly, not affected in the least by his master's increasingly volatile emotional state.

            "You miswired miscreant!! You brought it here!!!!" , Travers said in both shock and a little bit of fear, "Do you realize what will happen if Glorificus gets her hands on that dragonball?"

            "Of course he does." Said a sarcastic female voice coming from the cloud of dust behind the android.

            Looking in the direction the sound had come in just about everyone present felt dread begin to well up within themselves as the ex-hell goddess Glory walked up to the android's side.

            "The thing is he doesn't care anymore." Glory stated as she held out her hand to claim her prize.

            Seeing the android begin to extend the hand with the dragonball towards the Beast Travers immediately began to fumble in his cloak for something. Eventually he seemed to find what it was he was after and brought it out to reveal it to be a scepter with a red diamond mounted at one end. With a quick chant the diamond began to glow an unholy red color before a bolt of crimson energy lashed out and struck the android right in the center of it's chest. Unfortunately whatever the desired effect was the android only looked at the energy striking him and smile before completing the delivery of the last dragonball to Glory.

            "T-this isn't possible!! This scepter is tied into your power source!!" , Travers said with fear as he looked back and forth between the scepter and the android, "It should have shut you down instantly!!"

            "Yesterday it would have Travers but thanks to Glorificus my brethren and I have a new lease on life." , The android explained as a malevolent look came across it's face, "We won't be taking orders from you any longer."

            With a sudden blur of motion the android seemed to disappear from sight but the effect was only temporary for he soon reappeared right in front of Watcher Seven. For a moment they just looked at one another, eye to eye, neither of them moving an inch though Travers seemed like he wanted to run away **very** fast. Then he suddenly convulsed as if he had just experienced a very unpleasant sensation and as they soon found out it was a very unpleasant sensation indeed. Slowly with shock Travers looked down at his chest to find a large and bloody hole in his chest that went clear through to the other side. With the last bit of life within him the Watcher could only raise his head and look at his creation one more time before dropping to the ground. What had the attention of Willow and the others was not the dead man on the floor but what the android held in his hand. His hand still out in front of him, covered in blood, held in it what according to most anatomy text books was a still pulsating human heart. Needless to say Xander promptly lost his lunch while the others simply tried to look away to avoid looking at the gross sight. Fortunately though the Android seemed to lose interest in what he was holding and quickly vaporized the heart until it was gone and his hand was clean. If they hadn't seen it happen with his own eyes they would never have known what had happened just a few moments ago.

            On the plus side though it did one thing right which was break the binding spell that was holding them suspended off the ground. They all dropped to the ground, some a bit more gracefully than others, but once they had all gotten to their feet they were all at something of a loss as to what to do next. After all most of the really powerful warriors were already combating the androids and even though Glorificus was here Willow doubted that either Goku or Vegita would be coming to their rescue any time soon. Chances are they were out with the others which meant all that was there to stand against one android and an ex-Hell Goddess were two wiccas, two Watchers, and an assortment of civilians

            "We are in **BIG** trouble!" Willow said in a voice that was almost calm except for the fear that those who knew her could hear.


	15. The sleepers awaken!

**_Vegita's Perspective, The Battlefield, 10:20p.m_**

            "THAT'S IT!!! I'm through playing with you!!" Vegita roared as he pumped up his power level even higher.

            To say that the Saiyan prince was frustrated did not do the reality justice at all as he launched a new attack at his android adversary. For the past hour and a half he had been locked in battle with these overgrown toasters and so far the most he or any of the others had been able to do was blast an arm or a leg off of them. Not that he expected anything more than that from Kakarott or the others but to find that he was in the same league was intolerable. He was a prince that automatically should put him well above all others but still he struggled to gain an advantage in this fight. The one saving grace in this battle was that whoever designed these mechanical monsters failed to include a limb regeneration ability into them. While this fact did not guarantee them victory it at least ensured that any damage done to them would be permanent. Encouraged by this fact Prince Vegita fired a barrage of meteor shower-like energy blasts at his opponent knowing full well that none of them would make contact. This of course was all a part of his plan as he immediately used his super speed to zip through the barrier of fire and smoke his attacks had created to seemingly reappear behind his adversary. Timing his reappearance to coincide with a punch he fully expected to make contact with his attack but at the last second the android turned around and caught the punch before it could make contact. The android that looked like a teenage boy smiled in apparent triumph but that smile faltered as he saw Vegita had an even wider one on his face. For a moment the mechanical being could not understand the reason for the Saiyan's positive attitude since his attack had been thwarted. It was then at that moment that the android realized his mistake but it was too late to block the true attack that was coming. Before his opponent could move Vegita opened his mouth and unleashed a powerful move inspired by his departed former partner Nappa.

            When the Saiyan prince was convinced that he had expelled enough energy he stopped firing and waited to see the results of his ingenious work. He had anticipated that the android would be expecting his first attack so he used it as a set-up for his second and caught the robot completely off-guard. He grinned arrogantly as he waited for the badly charred and sparking remains of his adversary but was slightly puzzled at why the android's grip on his fist seemed as strong as ever. That little problem was resolved quickly when the smoke cleared and he was greeted with a sight that had him going from shocked to furious in the space of a few seconds. The android was still functional and aside from burning off the pseudo flesh and cloths it appeared that all Vegita had succeeded in doing was ruining the shiny finish of the metal frame.

            "A cunning strategy Vegita but I am afraid that you'll have to work harder if you hope to finish me off." Said the android with the taunt clear in how he spoke to the former prince.

            Not waiting for a reply the android twisted the Saiyan's wrist sharply and a sickening snap confirmed that Vegita's right wrist was now broken. As if to capitalize on this the android slammed a kick hard into the Saiyan's back before releasing him to fall to the ground below. Unfortunately for the android it underestimated the bull-headedness of the prince as Vegita stopped ten feet down and shot right back up to head-butt the android in the chin. It's motor functions momentarily interrupted Vegita grabbed it's right arm and with all of his strength thrust his right foot up severing the arm completely from the main body.

            "I see your wrist android and raise you an arm!" Vegita said with a chuckle as he crushed he hand portion of the arm to emphasize the point.

            With it's false-flesh burned off it was hard to tell what emotion the android was conveying but in a moment it didn't really matter as once more they began to trade blows and blocks.

**_Capsule Corps, Front Entrance, 10:30p.m_**

            "You have no idea how long I have waited for this day!" Glory exclaimed as she lifted the last dragonball high above her head and looked at it.

            She had almost given up hope that this day would ever come but now she finally had the means to return to her home dimension and reclaim all she had lost. Despite what some might think she had been in this dimension on Earth for far longer than the twenty-some years that Ben or she appeared to be and quite frankly she was tired of this existence. The limitations, the boredom and the overabundance of these weakling mortals who constantly tried to get in the way of her returning home. Oh she managed to lighten things up every once and awhile with the odd rampage and carnage but even that lost it's charm after the first century or so which left her to find other things to occupy her time. That was all about to come to and end though, with only a few choice words to a magical dragon she would be home and this cesspool would be only a memory.

            "Yes … well I hope it's everything you hoped for so long as you hold up your end of the bargain." The andoid said as he tried to keep from rolling his eyes at Glorificus' theatrics. 

            "Yeah, yeah, I promise to let you and your buddies have free will and all that" , Glory stated as she waved in a distracted manner in his direction without looking away from her prize, "but only if you keep these goodie-goodies busy long enough for me to get what I want."

            "I don't think that'll be a problem." , the android stated with a sick grin, "Travers may have been foolish to think he could control us but he was accurate as far as our ability to kill these warriors. Frankly I don't know why androids 17 and 18 had any trouble with them whatsoever. They're pushovers."

            "Good" , Glory said as she began to walk away from the group, "then incinerating these yokels shouldn't take long at all. Have fun!!"

            With that bit of business concluded for the moment it was time for the main event to get underway. Gesturing for her minions to finally get out from their hidey-holes her smile widened when she saw them each carrying a dragonball. As they got closer she could both feel and see as the mystical items began to pulse with energy the closer they got to one another. It was as if the pieces of the eternal dragon that resided in each of them could sense that his release was imminent and waited with eager anticipation. Well it would get it's wish very soon and she would get hers as well which meant that everyone would walk away from this happy. Well except for the Slayer and her pals but who really cared what happened to them anyway!! Still she did owe them something for the misery they caused her in keeping the Key from her so she decided that before she left this realm for home she would vaporize this continent and everyone in it. Finding a clear patch of grass that wasn't covered in rubble or burning from an errant energy blast she set the dragonball down on the ground and took a step back. Following her lead her minions placed the remaining six dragonballs down beside the seventh and with each one that was set down the pulsing glow grew bigger and brighter. Before long it was so bright that it seemed to be like a roaring campfire and Glory began to giggle with the power she could feeling coming from the spheres before her. 

            Raising her hands above her head she yelled "RISE OH MIGHTY DRAGON! I SUMMON YOU BY YOUR NAME, SHENRON!!!!"

            For a moment nothing happened and Glory began to wonder if she had spoken the correct chant but as the stars in the sky above her began to disappear. This was not the apocalyptic sign of all the stars winking out but rather a pitch black storm cloud quickly drifting across the sky preventing the light from the stars from reaching the Earth.  Accompanying this were powerful gusts of wind that almost knocked over a few nearby trees and telephone polls. The great Glorificus smiled as she watched everything happen exactly as it had been described in her books and waited for what she knew would happen next. The dragonballs began to glow brighter as they began to pulse faster and faster in synch with one another until with a mighty flash energy erupted from them and shot into the sky like upside down lightning. Only this type of energy didn't disappear as quickly as it appeared but instead grew larger and longer with every passing second. Twisting and turning around the sky the energy ceased to look anything like lightning and came to resemble a giant golden serpent. As the seconds ticked by the serpent of light began to take more definite shape as two sets of legs sprouted from it's body and a giant head began to form at the end opposite the dragonballs themselves. As the process completed itself and the golden glow faded all that was left in the sky was a huge green-scaled dragon that seemed to extend forever in every direction. Slowly, as if only to serve dramatic purposes, it lowered it's head towards the being who had summoned it with it's glowing red eyes hinting at great power and intelligence.

            "STATE YOUR WISH AND IT WILL BE SO GRANTED." Boomed the voice of the Eternal Dragon Shenron.

            "Oh mighty dragon I wish for you to return me to my native dimension with my powers restored it full!" Glory bellowed with glee as she waited for the surge of power and the dimensional portal to open up.

            Unfortunately nothing happened and so she waited assuming that it was just taking the Eternal dragon a while to warm up for something like this. As time wore on however she began to get impatient and made this known by tapping her right foot on the ground while sending the wish granter some impatient glares. Finally after five minutes the dragon seemed to come to a decision concerning her wish but not soon enough to keep her from putting it on her top ten people/entities/things to kill list.

            "YOUR WISH CANNOT BE GRANTED BECAUSE IT IS BEYOND MY POWER TO BREACH THE BARRIER WHICH SURROUNDS YOUR HOME DIMENSION." , Shenron stated in a neutral tone of voice, "MAKE ANOTHER WISH!!"

            "WHAT!? You're supposed to be the all powerful Eternal Dragon Shenron! You're telling me that you can't knock down one pitiful barrier!!" , Glory yelled in fury and frustration before managing to calm herself, "Fine. Change in plans. I'll make another wish but before I do …"

            Turning around with blurring speed she fired an energy blast and incinerated Oolong and Pwore who were sneaking up behind her in an attempt to ruin her plans. She had heard how they had screwed up the demon Pilafs plans to rule the world years ago and she wasn't about to let them do the same to her here.

            "Now for my wish. I WISH ETERNAL DRAGON FOR YOU TO MAKE ME THE MOST POWERFUL EVIL BEING ON THE PLANET EARTH!!" , Glory roared with her rage, "IF I CAN'T RETURN HOME I'LL JUST HAVE TO MAKE THIS PATHETIC DIMENSION HOME!!"

            "VERY WELL. YOUR WISH SHALL BE GRANTED!!" Shenron responded and with something just below a growl in volume his eyes glowed an impressive shade of ruby red.

            As soon as the Eternal Dragon's eyes began to glow Glorificus could feel the power welling up within her. Along with the power her body began to shift and change to contain such awesome might making her seem less human with every moment.

            This is going to be GREAT! Glory thought to herself as she reveled in her growing power.

**_Capsule Corp, What Remains of the Living Room, Five Minutes Earlier_**

            "Well what should I do to you puny humans first?" the android wondered aloud with a look that stated that whatever it thought of it would be bad for them.

            "You could let us go and find someone else to kill horribly?" Xander proposed while trying to keep his voice from cracking.

            "Where would be the fun in that?" the android said in reply as he apparently pegged Xander as his first target.

            Good try Xander but I don't think this is something we can talk our way out of. Willow thought to herself as her mind raced to find a way out of their current predicament.

            At the moment the situation they were in seemed pretty hopeless and despite the fact that they had some of the most powerful warriors in all existence not ten feet away they were still on their own. Glory was no doubt preparing to summon the Eternal Dragon and once she did any chance they had of pulling out a victory would go straight up in smoke. The question was what to do about it and would they be able to do it in time. One thing for certain was that they had to get rid of the android first, he was the one major roadblock that kept them from leaving the places where they stood. She doubted that they could best him in a contest of strength since Goku and the others seemed to barely be holding their own against the other androids. That meant that it had to be by trickery and that set her mind whirring for a ruse or scheme that would make it past that mechanically logical mind. It was with that description that she hit upon a possibility and smiled as the beginnings of a plan formed in her mind.

            "You know, I wouldn't trust Glory if I were you." , Willow stated as she casually set herself down on the debris covered couch, "After all once she's back to her hell-goddess self what makes you think that she'll care one bit about her promise to you?"

            "Oh is this where you try to get me to turn on Glory so you can prepare to take us both out at once?" , the android asked with a sarcastic look on his face, "Please! If you are trying to outwit me please put a little more effort into your plan than that."

            "Who says I need to? After all once Glory has gone back to her home dimension what'll keep Travers' last few cronies from using the self-destruct command they probably put in you to make you blow up real good?" , Willow said as she continued to weave her plan, "After all Glory is the only one preventing that from happening and once she's gone who knows what will happen? That is assuming of course that she doesn't decide to blow up the Earth and everyone on it before she leaves. It's a definite possibility because in case you haven't noticed she's quite insane."

            Seeing where Willow was going with this Giles added "Add that to , er, the fact that she is obviously power hungry how long do you think it will be before she begins conquering other dimensions for kicks?"

            The android seemed to pause for a moment to consider the possibilities in it's computer brain but the humans in the room took it as a positive sign. It meant that the android had doubts of it's own about Glorificus' intentions and goals which meant they had something to build on. Still this idea would only work if they kept his attention focused on what they were saying rather than what they were doing. It had started out small but one by one they were sneaking people out of the room towards safety, keeping a straight line in front of the robot to keep him from noticing the decrease in numbers. Willow still hadn't quite worked out what they were going to do when they got down to five or six people but they'd deal with that problem later. Right now she had to start building on the doubt that the android seemed to have about his uneasy alliance with the insane ex-but-soon-to-be-again-hell goddess.

            "You do know that she feeds on people's spirits right? Whose to say what other types of energy she might try and dine on once she's back to being a goddess?" , Willow prodded as she faked looking vacantly out towards where she assumed Glory would be, "After all goddesses are immortal and get bored pretty easily. She'll have to think of something to keep herself amused over the passing millennia."

            "Still she may decide to keep you around a bit longer than anyone else so long as you keep amusing her." , Giles added as he moved forward to keep the killing machine's attention focused on him, "Still that'll only last a few centuries before she begins to get annoyed at your antics and decides to take pleasure in your pain."

            It was almost time for the big finale and Willow knew it would be up to her to make that happen. Giles might have the knowledge but she was the one who had the edge in power. Waiting for Xander to sneak out the door she then began to gather her power around her in preparation for the strongest non-ritualistic spell she could think of and hoped it would be enough. Time was against her though because the moment that her power level began to rise the android sensed it and clued into the reality of what they had been doing. His face went from quiet contemplation to rage in an instant and the wicca knew that it was time to strike.

            "Forminos Venitae!!" she yelled and channeled all her magic through her outstretched hand towards the android.

            With blinding light lightning exploded from her fingertips and hit the android squarely in the chest sending him a good ten feet up and a couple hundred yards away. For a moment the redhead merely stood there and looked stunned as she tried to figure out how she had managed to blast an all-powerful android that would have given a Super-Saiyan trouble. She wasn't given much time to contemplate this as someone, probably Giles, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out the door. For the moment they only seemed to be running, darting down one corridor and then another with no apparent plan in mind. She knew that it wouldn't do them any good because if the android can sense life energy like Goku and the others then it wouldn't matter where they went because it would be able to track them by their energy. They needed to work on their next form of attack and they needed to hurry, she could practically feel the android getting up and swearing painful revenge. Looking around while she ran she recognized one of the corridors and broke away from Giles and headed to the right. She could hear out of the corner of her ear the former Watcher calling for her but she didn't have time to explain her plan. She needed to get to the three people who might be able to pull off a miracle and save them all like they had a dozen times before. She just hoped that she would be able to wake Buffy, Faith and Dawn from their slumber before the android she blasted showed her just how much of a bitch payback was up close and personal.

**_Dawn's Mind, The Dreamscape, 10:50p.m_**

            This is one weird dream! Dawn Summers thought to herself as she watched the scene play out before her as she had for what seemed like forever.

            It had been so long like this that she could barely recall her life outside of this dream, of Willow and the others and Sunnydale. Normally she would have spent her time trying to find a way out of this bizarre place but for some reason she felt compelled to continue watching these scenes play out before her, almost as if she was connected to them.  At the moment she was still traveling with Verdune and Varda as their young daughter Vera as they ventured through space trying to find some place to live. They had lost the last remnants of pursuit a long time ago and now passed the time by telling stories of past battles. She could sense that Vera had greatly enjoyed these stories but also promised herself that she would one day surpass them completely and become the most powerful warrior in the entire universe. It seemed that everyone in this family had that as a long-term goal. In any case she was starting to get a little bored with the stories since they all seemed to end with the brave Verdune or Varda kicking their enemies' butts. She should have known better than to think something like that because no sooner did the thought slip through her mind than some sort of signal alarm began to beep inside the cockpit of the ship causing Verdune to make a dash for the controls. He didn't seem worried, just concerned that some sort of space anomaly was going to make swiss cheese out of their ship. Vera was apparently also concerned as she got up from her position on the floor and followed her father.

            "What's up father?" Vera asked as she stared out at the starfield flying by their ship as it flew at high speeds.

            "Sensors have detected a planet matching the parameters I put in." , Verdune said with a expectant grin, "Looks like we'll finally be able to get out of this tin can and breathe some real air for once."

            "About time! If I had to spend one more week eating that machine dispensed slop I would have blown us all up just to put us out of our misery!" Vera declared in Dawn's voice.

            "One more week daughter and I would have helped you do it!" , Verdune said with a chuckle as he was amused by his daughter's words, "Still no need to worry about that now. Prepare to come out of  light-speed, we're coming in for a landing."

            Dawn could feel the floor of the ship lurch at the sudden deceleration and watched planets familiar to her but unfamiliar to Vera came into view. The next few moments were routine as they flew past all the outlying planets and through the asteroid belt until they finally came upon the blue marble that was Earth and the moon that orbited it. Still something struck Dawn as odd about her home planet, there was something different but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. There were quite a few storm clouds in the skies but that could just mean some kind of atmospheric disturbance. However as she got closer she could sense that there was something that she did not see beneath the surface of what her eyes were showing that made this planet scare her very much indeed. Vera could sense this also but she put on a passive demeanor so as not to look weak in front of her parents.

            They headed for and landed on what would one day be South Africa and immediately began to make their home. Verdune was in charge of the heavy lifting and construction while Varda was the one that would hunt for food and prepare it. Vera on the other hand was left to her own devices and encouraged only to continue to hone her fighting abilities. Even on another world with no other Saiyan's for light years her father insisted that she continue her training. Vera grumbled a bit but knew that eventually she would become powerful enough that she wouldn't have to take any orders from anyone ever again. Days and weeks went by with the family of three going through the same old routine that they had always followed since landing on this world. Still at the back of Dawn's mind she could feel a deep seated dread growing within her, warning her that something was coming and that it would bring an end to all this. Vera seemed unaware of this premonition but hopefully someone would pick up on the sensation and take some precautions.

            It wasn't until roughly four months later that the group of Saiyans detected something might be wrong. A large portion of the local animal life was moving out of the area at a fast clip but since food and shelter were in abundance Verdune determined that something had to be spooking the animals. Their routine didn't change but nevertheless they kept their senses opened and Verdune began to wear his scouter around during the day. A week after the animals finally left the area for good and the Saiyan family decided that they would leave for another more plentiful area their scouters finally picked up the cause of the unusual behavior. There were a large group of power signals approaching from the north with some of them coming close to Verdune's level.

            "About time something strong came along!" , Vera stated with eager anticipation, "I was getting bored with these endless drills."

            "Practice makes perfect Vera." , Varda said admonishing her daughter, "What shall we do Verdune?"

            "It's clear that these signals are coming here so we might as well wait and see what we're dealing with." , Verdune stated as he watched the readings on his scouter, "After all this is the first sign of powerful life on this planet. It might be interesting to see what they are capable of."

            With that decided they waited for the signals to arrive. Vera was eager for the fight to start but Dawn was becoming increasingly worried at the feeling of dread that was welling up within her body. She wanted to scream at these people to run, to not wait for the force they had detected to arrive but nothing would happen. No sound would come from Vera's lips nor did the young Saiyan girl seem to hear Dawn's thoughts and that left the youngest summers with nothing more to do but wait. Trying to focus on something else she went back to trying to figure out how she had gotten here in the first place. The last thing that she could remember clearly was heading for the dragonballs they had acquired to keep them safe from Glory's attack force. After that it was all a fog of disorientation and pain, as if she had been hit with some kind of energy blast that completely wiped out her short-term memory. No matter how hard she tried to organize that fog into a coherent shape she might recognize it remained as ethereal as a dream several hours old. This fact only added to her fear but before she could examine it further Vera's time seemed to be up as the scouter beeped and displayed readings that stated the power levels they had been tracking were within five hundred yards.

            "Get ready. They're almost here." Verdune warned as he began to power up a bit.

            "Let them come. We're ready!" Vera stated with the bloodlust within her so potent that she could barely contain it.

            This as far as Vera was concerned was what made a Saiyan a Saiyan. The eagerness towards battle, the desire to do battle with an opponent stronger than themselves. Dawn had to admit that if what she was experiencing through Vera was any indication of what Vegita and Goku felt during battle then she understood how they could be so carefree towards it. Verdune, Varda and Vera scanned their surroundings for signs of an ambush but from what they could tell their adversaries seemed completely unaware that their approach was being monitored. This would make things more interesting and more enjoyable since it would make it possible to manipulate their opponents into making the first move. This would let the Saiyans see what their opponents could do sooner rather than later giving them the chance to gain an early advantage. 

            They're almost ready to strike. Vera thought to herself as she checked the positions of the approaching enemies.

            Deciding to stake her claim on one of the groups Vera started walking towards the group coming from the eastern side of their camp. Her parents understood what she was implying with this action and went in their own directions with her father predictably choosing the strongest group of enemies. They did not make their hostile intentions obvious but instead disguised them as normal activities for a group surviving in the wild. Unfortunately it quickly became apparent that these foes were too cowardly to initiate combat so her father apparently decided to force their hand in the matter. Looking straight at the location of his targets he smirked at them like a cat would look at it's cornered prey. What happened next startled both Vera and Dawn as well as brought the dread that the youngest Summers had almost forgotten about erupting to the surface. The enemies exploded from their hiding places firing energy attacks and brandishing blades with their intentions clear in their eyes. Verdune was the first to be engaged in combat in the form of a bolt of lightning that seemed to come from the hands of a robed enemy. Verdune was surprised but quickly brought his energy level up high enough to let him block the attack so that it did little damage to him. Still he looked surprised at the strength of the attack which was odd as far as Vera was concerned considering what they had read in the scouters as the enemies approached. Pressing a few buttons on her own scouter as she dodged a sword swing she found that perhaps her father's surprise was warranted as these warriors' power levels had apparently increased since the last time she took a reading. 

            That shouldn't be possible!! They haven't changed their shape or size!! ,  Vera thought to herself as her anger rose at this unexpected and seemingly impossible change in circumstances, Time to take things up a notch then!"

            Putting some space between herself and her opponents she drew on the power within herself and began to power up to her maximum level. Letting out a scream of fury and determination a white aura of power sprung to life around her making it look as though she were on fire. She smiled as she saw the looks of fear that grew on the faces of her enemies and before her enemies could attack she brought both her arms up in front of herself, placed her hands against each other heel to heel, and vaporized ten of them in one blast. Temporarily bereft of opponents to stomp she looked to see how her parents were doing with their share of the bugs. What she saw caused her to lose what cocky confidence and race to her parents' aide as she saw them besieged on all sides by adversaries. Worst than anything else was that they seemed to be losing which Vera thought was impossible. Like all children she believed that their mother and father were the most powerful warriors in the galaxy and the possibility that they might lose had never before entered her mind. Yet right before her she could see the broken off pieces of armor littering the ground as well as the cuts and bruises on their bodies. Apparently these fools had discounted her as a threat because of her size and gender while choosing to focus on the adults.

            Well I'll show them just how big a mistake they made in doing that! Vera thought to herself as she let loose with a barrage of energy blasts.

            She focused on trying to carve away the enemies to the right and left of her parents so that they would be able to focus on the enemies in front of themselves and behind. Her energy blasts only had a marginal effect though as they seemed to be hitting some sort of invisible energy barrier around her enemies' bodies. They were still having an effect but it was taking her a great deal more time to do her job, time her parents were running out of with every attack. With a growl of frustration she abandoned her energy blasts and decided to get up close and personal. Moving almost faster than anybody could see she charged into the group throwing punches and lashing out with kicks as she went along. This seemed to be working out more to her liking as one blow seemed to work per bad guy but there were still a great many still to be dealt with before the battle would be won. 

            The battle seemed to last forever and Vera seemed to be making a mental note never to let herself be caught unprepared like this again as near as Dawn could tell. Good advice considering what Dawn had learned after finding out that her sister was the Slayer. Getting cocky went hand in hand with getting dead no matter what activity a person engaged in. Vera, Verdune and Varda were learning about this the hard way as they fought for their very lives against opponents they had thought so little of an hour earlier. By the present point in the battle Vera's armor already had more than a few cracks in it and her father's left arm had been rendered useless. Nevertheless they would fight on to the bitter end because they would never be able to live with themselves with they even considered running from this battle. They were not just Saiyans but also members of the royal family and that meant that they were the example that all their people aspired to one day become. More so than that the most important thing they valued was at stake here, the one thing that a Saiyan warrior cherished above all else, their pride and the pride of their people. With an almost insane determination Vera continued to fight and a confident grin seemed frozen on her face with defiance matching it in her eyes.

            Pride, confidence and defiance.

            These were the things that personified the Saiyan race and especially the royal family. It was what they were known for and what kept them going in battle even when things were at their worst. More often than not it was enough to see them through to victory as there was nothing more deadly than a determined Saiyan. Sometimes though fate proved unkind and to Vera it was about to be especially unkind in a way that most persons would find reprehensible. With one flash of energy from a robed figure Verdune was struck through the chest leaving a charred hole in its wake. Varda fell soon after as the death of her husband distracted her at a moment when she should have been focused on her opponent. She never saw the sword descending towards her head, never felt it cleave her skull in two before death claimed her to its bittersweet embrace. Witnessing these events it would have been easy for Vera to be shocked to the point of motionlessness but instead it fueled a rage within herself that she had never before felt. In the space of a few seconds her power level went from near empty to beyond its apex as she harnessed her feelings in such a way so as to feed her power. 

            Dawn shared in her feelings as though they were her own, her minds eye seeing Joyce Summers in the place of Varda and Giles instead of Verdune. In that one moment she could feel her sister Buffy's and Faith's fury alongside her own waiting to be unleashed on her unsuspecting foes. In this moment they were more Saiyan than they had ever been before for now they were going to show everyone why it was never wise to make them angry.

Capsule Corps Infirmery, 11:05p.m         

            Well I'd say that my time is just about up! Willow thought to herself as she felt the building shake from the direction of the living room.

            She had barely stepped in the door of the infirmary before she was almost knocked off her feet by the android's return and she knew it wouldn't be long before it locked onto her and came in swinging. That meant she had mere moments to wake Buffy and the others up from their slumber or she would be a warm pile of ash inside of fifteen minutes. She didn't really have a plan for how to do this but it was the only idea she had that might send that android packing. Moving over between Buffy and Faith she began to chant an awakening spell while placing her hands over their bodies. Mere moments after she started energy arced up from the two Slayers' bodies forcing her to remove her arms from the positions they were in. Closing her eyes she muttered a brief spell in latin and then opened them to be almost blinded by the energy the three unconscious persons' bodies were giving off. Whatever they were going through it seemed to be coming to a head and she was beginning to wonder if she had done the smart thing coming here.

            Just then the door burst open and Giles charged in followed by everyone else with looks of confusion in their eyes.

            "Willow why did you run off?" Xander asked while looking at every conceivable point of attack in the room including the inconceivable ones.

            "Look the only chance we have of not being dusted like vamps is to wake Buffy and the others up! There's no way we can stand up against that android on our own!" , Willow said as she walked over to the medical cabinet and began to look at each bottle inside, "Problem is the magical solution isn't working so it's time to try medical."

            "Do you even know what you are looking for?" Giles asked as he looked over each of the sleeping girls in the hope of receiving some sort of inspiration.

            "Besides looking for the most potent stimulants I can think of, um, no." Willow replied as she finally found the bottle she was looking for in the cabinet.

            Grabbing three fresh needles she went over to Buffy's bed and ripped the wrapping off one of them before jabbing the pointy end into the top of the bottle. Drawing out what she thought was the right dosage, not being overly confident of her E.R. gleaned medical knowledge, she shakily injected the stimulant into Buffy's arm. Tossing the needle over her shoulder and went on to Faith since she wasn't overly concerned with cleanliness at the moment and hoping she'd have time later to deal with it properly. Once all three had been injected she stepped back knowing all that they could do now was wait and hope that Buffy and the others came to before the android arrived.

            "BOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!"

            All in the room were knocked to the opposite side of the room as she wall behind them shattered in a powerful explosion that saturated the air with dust. Ringing filled their ears as she gathered their senses but when they looked at the whole to discover its cause they wished they were still disoriented because it was preferable to being coherent enough to understand what they were seeing now. Before them was the same android that Willow had blasted away to give them time to escape but now he had none of that sadistic joy he had possessed when he was trying to decide what he was going to do with them. Now he was pissed and they had a feeling the next few minutes were not going to be pleasant in the least.

            "Okay who wants to be first?" the android asked making it clear what kind of pain was coming their way.

            "Now how can we ignore a pick-up line like that?" said three female voices in unison.

            Before the android could fully turn its head towards the source it was slammed with three energy blasts that sent it not only out of the building but almost halfway across the city. Willow, Giles, Xander and the others gaped for three whole minutes in shock before the turned their heads to where the familiar female voices had come from. What they saw was a dash of the unknown mixed with the three bravest people they had ever had the priveledge to call friend. 

            "So what'd we miss?" Faith asked with a grin that spoke of much mayhem and destruction in the near future.


	16. Things are looking up NOT!

The Sky Above Capsule Corps, 11:30p.m

Gohan looked down with surprise at the sight of one of the androids flying across town on what look like three powerful energy blasts. This was odd because as far as he knew all those that had started the fight were still in the air and none of the warriors that were left on the ground should have been powerful enough to knock the android that far. However before he could think on the matter further he was forced to bring his attention back to his current opponent in the form of a female android who was giving him quite the workout. Despite the immense increase in power that he had received at the hands of the elder Supreme Kai during that whole mess with Maijin Buu he was still forced to keep his wits about him with this one. When you added to the rising power he felt from the being that he knew to be Glory and the time to turn the tide in their favor had to happen soon or it would not happen at all.

Well I might as well get the ball rolling! he thought to himself bringing his power to its highest level before going on the attack.

Advancing on his opponent with sudden bursts of speed it made him look like he was doing mini-teleports forward when it fact he was simply moving too fast for anyone to see as anything more than a blur. As he came within attack range of the android he made it look as though he was going to try to deliver a right hook but then pulled a move that his father hadn't used in ages. Essentially he would leave a ghost image in his place and allow it to continue on to distract the android while he circled around and attacked from behind. He wasn't sure if the android's visual sensors were sophisticated enough to keep track of him at that speed but he was sure enough of his chances to give it a shot. Putting his plan into action he smiled as he saw the mechanical woman go for his false image as he had planned but when he attempted to deliver a double axe handle it was the metal woman who disappeared. For a moment he was stunned at the speed the machine had exhibited and unfortunately that was all that the femme 'bot needed as moments later she had him in a full nelson with both of his arms locked in hers while putting pressure on his neck.

"I'm disappointed in you Gohan. You should have known that Quentin Travers had updated Gero's old files and programmed us with all your techniques past and present." , the female said as she spoke into his ear, "Although I personally have always thought of you as brainless hunk type myself."

"WHAT!?" he exclaimed as he comprehended the meaning behind her words as well as what she was implying without actually saying it.

"Oh c'mon! 18 isn't the only one to see something in you biological life forms that is appealing." , the female android said seductively as she pressed her body a little more into him, "Though personally why she settled with that half-pint Krillin when she could have waited a few years and had you is beyond me. So what do you say Gohan? Ready to ditch that weakling and try someone more on the same level as yourself?"

Gohan was more than a little uncomfortable at that moment and was about to reply with a negative when he sensed someone else arrive to give a reply for him.

"Hey skank! I think you better take your hands off of Videl's husband!" , came a sarcastic voice that had traits of Vegeta but was undeniably female, "Besides if any woman is going to steal this boytoy from Videl its going to be me!"

As soon as the android began to loosen her grip to turn her head a little to see who had the bad luck of interrupting what she considered a private conversation the android was hit with a right hook that succeeded in freeing Gohan and also dislocating the android's jaw mechanism. Gohan took a moment to be thankful that he was out of that difficult situation and for a moment wondered how he was going to explain what had happened to Videl if she had seed the altercation. Fortunately that quickly passed once his eyes settled on the woman who had saved from that uncomfortable situation as he looked at the last person he expected to be involved in this battle.

"What are you looking at boytoy? Haven't you ever seen a Saiyan warrior before?" asked a greatly changed Faith wearing a slightly modified version of Vegeta's battle gear boots, gloves and chest plate included.

He had been among those who had seen the changed forms of the three women in the infirmary but that was while they had been unconscious. It was quite a different thing to see the dark Slayer floating there with her long untamed Saiyan hair and decked out in Saiyan gear. All that she was missing was the scouter devices that the great warriors had worn up until the Prince of all Saiyans learned how to detect the life energy of others. Looking at her now there was no question that she was a Saiyan and unquestionable that she was a part of Vegeta's family. Add to that the logical thought that if she was awake then the others were as well and that meant that things were most definitely going to change in their favor. Granted none of them were as powerful as the androids or even Picollo since he had merged back with Kami but their training as Slayers combined with their time in the hyperbolic time chamber with either Picollo or his dad and they could definitely stir things up a bit. At the very least it would provide more targets for the androids allowing them all to use the decoy and attack strategy on these mechanical monsters.

"Good to see you up and about Faith. Are Buffy and Dawn up and about as well?" he asked as he made a cursory look around the battlefield.

"Oh yeah! B and the bit are up and making up for all the ass kicking they've missed out on so far!" , Faith said with a smirk as she looked in the direction that Picollo was dealing with his adversary, "Take a look over there."

Looking in the area she had indicated he didn't have to wait long before a trio of special beam cannons slammed into a speck he assumed was an android. He smiled as he knew of only three people who knew that particular technique and was glad that Picollo now had some back-up for handling his opponent. With a little bit of luck this might be just what they need to turn the tide against these androids and then focus on that Glory lady who seemed to become a bigger problem the more time went on. That was the end of that thought as he felt the female android recover from Faith's attack and move towards them on the offensive. Looking at Faith and indicating that there was an attack incoming she smiled and began to gather energy for an attack while counting down with her fingers. Catching onto her plan he mirrored her actions and waited for her to give the signal for them to act on what they knew. For a moment he was concerned that they wouldn't be able to launch their attack before the android launched her own but trusting the ebon-haired Slayer to know what she was doing he waited. When the moment finally came they both turned to look at the quickly approaching android and smiled in a way that usually meant something bad for the person on the receiving end. This caught the android off guard a little as it no doubt was trying to calculate or compute what they were trying to do and unfortunately for her this was exactly what they had both been hoping she would do.

"KA-ME.." he began as he brought his hands back into the proper position.

"BIG.." Faith said as she stretched the arm she had been gathering energy in out with her flat palm aimed right in the android's direction.

"HA-ME.. " he said as he watched a look of startled comprehension dawn on the face of the android as their strategy became clear.

"BANG .. " continued Faith as her grin widened even more making her look a little insane but also more like Vegita than he thought possible.

"HHHAAAAAAA!!!" he finished and with a swift thrust he pushed his hands out in front of him and released the energy that had been building in him in a flash of blue light.

"ATTACK!!" Faith released the glowing golden ball that had manifested in her palm in exact synch with his own assault which matched his attack in speed as well.

The female android, to her credit, began to move out of the path and if she had just started a few moments earlier she might have managed to get out of the path of the blasts in time to save herself. As it was she was about to pay an enourmous price for her brief moment of hesitation as both blasts slammed into her resulting in an explosion that sent out shockwaves and light that must have been felt and seem all over the battlefield. For a moment not even their own battle trained eyes could see if the android had survived their attack but as the light died they were able to see the fruits of their hastily constructed strategy. There is the middle of where the attack had hit was a badly damaged android with almost all of its false skin burned away and only bits and pieces of its clothes still hanging on its body. Not the grand success they had been hoping for, like say a few scorched bits of metal falling to the ground, but they could see visible signs of damage all over the metal frame. Circuits were sparking at some parts looked like they were hanging on by threads and in some cases that was literal. Whether that meant she was operating at a lower power level and efficiency rate was unknown but right now he liked their chances.

The Other Side of the Battlefield, 11:45p.m

"C'mon android! Fight harder! I am barely working up a sweat here!" Buffy taunted as she took advantage of her sister's distraction to tag the robotic moron once more.

She was reveling in this battle, soaking up the challenge and the violence of it all like a sponge and already hoping for something bigger to come along so she could test her newfound strength. When she had awoken with Dawn and Faith in the Capsule Corps infirmary she had known that there was something different about herself. She felt stronger, tougher and in possession of a need to test herself that she had never before experienced in herself before then. It was like her inner warrior had finally fully awoken and it was gloriously liberating. Looking back she realized that her past action as simply the Slayer was a shadow compared to what she was going through right now. The reason of course was obvious to her from what she remembered of the dreams in which the life of Vera of the Saiyan race was played out in full. She now knew who and what she was but more importantly she knew what she was now capable. The knowledge that she was a clone did little to shake her as the fact that she only vaguely resembled Vera made it clear that she was more like a distant relation to the Saiyan princess rather than a copy. In any case her Saiyan nature had been held back long enough and it was time for her to let it stretch its legs. Fortunately these androids were proving to be adequate workout partners to prepare her for when she finally took on Glory. Like the rest of the people on the battlefield she could sense the former hell-goddess' power steadily growing in the back of her mind. Before long it would be too strong for them to handle by themselves and while the yearning to test herself was buzzing like an irritating bee in the back of her mind the part of her that was the Slayer knew that only a fool would fight a truly undefeatable foe. That meant that they had to rap up the action with these wind up soldiers soon so they could focus on the real threat.

Dawn! We need to finish this up. Glory is getting too powerful too quickly. , Buffy thought to her sister telepathically, I'll keep this one occupied while you blast it from behind. 

Awwww, do we have to?! This was just getting interesting! the younger member of the family whined as her physical body dodged an energy attack only to send another one off to the side with her forearm.

SHUT UP AND DO AS I SAY!! Buffy all but yelled through her mind as she turned to glare at her increasingly brat of a sister.

That unfortunately was another trait that seemed to be growing inside of her as time went on. Apparently Saiyans, especially those of Vegeta's line, seemed to have low tolerances for cowards and very short fuses when they are provoked. Given Dawn's already impressive ability to get under skin before their Saiyan natures asserted themselves it indicated that much smacking down was going to happen in the future to resolve future disputes. That of course meant that insurance rates for the Summers family was going to go through the roof and that would lead to loans and financial support from any and most likely all of their well heeled friends and that included the Brief family. After all since they were genetically related to Vegeta and he was married to Bulma then they were family and family should always be ready to help when needed. Of course if Vegeta didn't feel like giving the money then she could always fight him for it which would likely make him happy. Truth be told the oppourtunity to test herself against the Saiyan Prince was something she was looking foreward to doing again herself. The last time that they had fought she had just finished training with Picollo in the hyperbolic time chamber and was itching for revenge for the death of Riley. She had done a half-decent accounting of herself in that match but looking back at it now she realized that she had been fighting more with her anger than with her head. This angered her and hurt her pride that she had so foolishly thought that simply ramming herself into Vegeta like a bull in a china shop was the way to win. Next time would be different. Next time she would make sure he wound up beaten, bloody and showing her a lot of respect. Now however she had a couple of Robbie the robots to deal with and deal with them she would. Charging the android she used her petite form and speed to her advantage to dodge the energy blasts until she was right on top of the African American looking android. When she reached a range in which dodging was no longer an option she shifted the bulk of her energy to her feet while taking it away from her upper body. This caused her to shift into a vertical position with her head pointing down which enabled her to flip over him mid-air and come up behind him. Not waiting for him to turn around she wrapped her right arm around his neck and the other under his right arm as he seemed to be a righty rather than lefty.

"You sure seem to know how to show a girl a good time Robo." , Buffy said into her adversary's ear, "Too bad it has to end to soon. Maybe my sister Dawn might be available."

"Nah! He's too butch looking for me to date steadily but I'll make sure your date ends with a bang!" Dawn said from above as her hand glowed with life energy.

In an attack that seemed to be entirely her own Dawn came down with her hand completely coated in energy to the point that her hand was visible only as a silohette. Then like a hot knife through butter she sliced through the android's body from the top of the head through to the lower body area. However he didn't slide apart like most would expect but that didn't stop her and Dawn from flinging themselves to a safe distance away from him. It was fortunate that they had as moments later the endroid exploded with golden energy that seemed to come from where Dawn had sliced through the metal frame. It was impressive but all it inspired in Buffy was a desire to top it and prove that she was the top Summers sister of the family. Looking around she saw that two of the androids had apparently gained up on Goku and he was having a bit of trouble. For a moment she was almost hesitant about going to his aide, helping a low level Saiyan warrior like him was almost revolting to her. However the more seasoned part of her knew that they would probably need his help to put Glory down so she began to approach the three-way fight from above. The first job of course was to get at least one of them to shift their attention from the simpleton Saiyan to her so the odds would be evened up. What she did after that would be more or less be made up on the fly which was fine because that was when she did her best work.

"Hey Tin-Grin!! Heads up!!" she yelled as she shifted from flying head first to going down feet first.

Her intention was to hit the android she had chosen, a female robot, on the shoulders and transfer all her built up speed and inertia to drive it to the ground and while it was recovering from that bombard it with energy bombs. It almost worked but at the last moment the femme android stepped just to the side making it so that she would miss the mark entirely. Fortunately she had anticipated this course of action so as she passed she lashed out with her tail and held on tight. This proved to be not as good an idea as she had originally thought as an almost mind numbing pain and weakness seemed to wash over her in direct proportion to the strain that was put on her tail. She then remembered hearing something from one of the other Saiyans in their letters that a Saiyan's one weak spot was their tail and that if it was grabbed all but the strongest would become very weak. The pain was more a product of it being drawn in two different directions at once than anything else but it was still an unpleasant sensation to say the least. Still she hung on in order to complete her move and catch the android by surprise. As she reached the last few moments of her arc back upwards she released the android's leg and used the strength that was rapidly returning to her body to deliver a serious right hook punch. While it did not do more than knock the femme bot back a few feet it did work perfectly as far as getting the female robot's attention focused on her instead of Goku.

"You'll pay for that flesh bag!!" the Female Android growled as it wiped some motor oil from the side of its mouth.

"Fine, just let me go get my purse!" she replied before taking off at her best speed through the air.

She could feel the air displacement that was the android coming up quick behind her and knew she had seconds if that before she was either grabbed from behind or overtaken. That meant she had to come up with something quick or she was going to end up in a world of pain. The only thing that had allowed Faith, Dawn and herself to land any hits and do any damage was the fact that they knew each other better than anyone else because thanks to Vera's memories they knew what the others were going to do before they did it. Add that to a whopping amount of arrogance on the part of the androids and it made for a few good solid hits and as Dawn displayed earlier one solid fatal attack. Unfortunately that would not last forever and now was the time to come up with yet another original tactic to take those mechanical morons off their guard. However using the redirection move wouldn't work again and there was no way she could come to a complete stop without decelerating first and the android would most certainly pick that up without a problem. This left only one thing to do and she had to do it now. Spinning as though on a central axis she turning completely around to face her oncoming foe while still maintaining the same speed and rough direction. Bringing her hands back it was time to bring out her own original attack that she had thought of when she had seen Krillin do his destructo disk once.

"KA-ME" she yelled as she began to gather the energy between her hands.

This of course caught the androids attention but instead of moving out of the way or attacking the femme was actually stupid enough to actually want to float there not ten feet away like a statue. It was as if she was taunting the blonde Slayer to give it her best.

Well I'm happy to oblidge her!! Buffy thought with a Saiyan smirk.

"HA-ME" Buffy continued as the blue energy finally manifested itself and filled the entire air around her with an eerie glow.

For a moment it seemed as though the android was reconsidering her decision to simply float in place as her logic circuits and files simply could not deduce the point of this move. Fortunately all her questions and doubts would soon be laid to rest for good.

"HHHAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!" Buffy screamed as she thrust the blast out in front of her savagely.

Like water from the mother of all fire hoses the energy streaked towards its intended target and it looked for all intents and purposes to be just your run of the mill kamehameha wave. This did settle whatever doubts the android had about what Buffy intended to do but it should have stayed on guard as it might have saved its semblance of a life. For just as the beam crossed the halfway mark it suddenly splintered into a half-dozen separate strands of energy and split off from the central beam of light. They spread out to the side looking for all appearances like tentacles and just as it looked as though it would miss its intended target they made a sharp turn and struck like the quickest of serpents. At a half-dozen different points along the android's body the energy tore into the synthetic flesh as well as the metal underneath. That was one of the other advantages they had against the androids, for all their power they were constructed using native Earth materials. Add that to an unexpected attack and the metal math heads had no way to erect an energy barrier and deflect the blast. While this did not take the android out completely it was certain to take a lot out of it and level out the playing field a bit more.

Now its time for my kind of fight! Buffy thought to herself as she changed direction and charged her adversary hitting it with a serious flying tackle.

Pouring on the speed she headed straight for the ground intent on plowing the android deep into the concrete below. She of course would disengage at just the right moment and let momentum to do the rest with the halfwit she was fighting. Unfortunately just before she was about to leave her prey to her painful fate she felt the robot grab her in a vise like grip and she realized that she wasn't going anywhere.

This is going to smart!! she thought to herself just before impact.

Dawn's POV, 11:50p.m

YYEESSS!! Dawn thought to herself as she watched another of her precise kicks hit the android that Picollo and she had been batting back and forth between the two of them.

After she had split off from her sister she decided to help out some of the others that seemed to be experiencing difficulties with their respective opponents. One of those had been her sister's sensei Picollo who seemed to barely be able to keep himself from getting killed much less doing any damage to his opponent. For a moment she seemed interested in the idea in seeing the green stuck up Namek get what was coming to him. After all she had heard how he had gotten results from Buffy in the hyper-bolic time chamber and she didn't like it one bit. Goku had been a difficult teacher for her but fair just the same and she had never felt like he was purposefully trying to upset or hurt her. He just pushed her to reach the potential that was already there. However as she saw the green warrior take another painful looking hit she had decided that Buffy would probably tear her a new one if she let anything happen to him. From there it was a simple matter of setting up a distraction so the Namek could recover and launch an attack of his own. Before too long they had the android so confused as to where the next attack would come from that in was almost no challenge at all.

Well almost no challenge. Dawn thought to herself as she attempted to match Picollo's punch with one of her own only to have the android grab her by the wrist and throw her into Picollo.

She didn't even think about it as she darted off to the side before the android could get the both of them with a single attack. It was moments like these that added to the problem of scrapping this glorified toaster oven. When she and the Namek worked together they were easily capable of handling one android but that was mostly due to the timing and pattern they set-up. They knew exactly when to strike and where to direct the android for the next attack but when the tempo was interrupted like this it took them awhile to get back into it. During the brief intermission though the android was able to get in a few hits of her own which left her more than a little bruised. Still she was doing better than her sister at the moment who just got her own pile-driver reversed on her and was only now beginning to pry herself out of the dirt. She smirked at the dirt covered face of her sister before a blow to her head caused her to focus back on the task at hand. Shaking her head to get rid of the cob-webs she turned to the advancing android and gathered energy for an attack. She decided to show Picollo how it is really done and began to fire small balls of energy at such a rapid pace that the android had to stop and start dodging in order to avoid flying into them head first. This of course was all a part of her plan as she began to strategically helt her thrown spheres of energy at spcific points around the android. However she quickly realized that time was running out for her to complete the grid of energy balls and was beginning to worry that the android would catch on and fly out of the sphere like grid before it was completed.

Of course that was when the green Namek began to lend a hand and dish out a few energy balls of his own to ease the load off of her and cut the completion time in half.

Grrr, me and that Namek are going to have some words later!! , Dawn thought to herself as she threw the last energy ball to complete the grid, The one true princess of the Saiyan race doesn't need help from anyone!! 

Pushing thoughts of kicking a certain Namek's ASS later aside she decided to see how the android was fairing in putting all the pieces of the puzzle. She grinned a feral grin as the android seemed to comprehend what she was in the middle of and what was about to happen. That of course was their cue to attack and with and violent clapping of their hands the spheres of energy that Picollo and she fired converged on the android and exploded on impact. With every ball that his the explosion seemed to grow bigger and bigger but this unfortunately also increase the smoke that was produced which obscured their target from their sight. When you added that to the fact that the android did not give off an energy signal that they could follow and both warriors had to keep their eyes open. Eventually the smoke cleared and they eased up a bit on their alertness as they saw that their target was still in the same place he was when the attack begun. The only difference was now the android looking considerably damaged and was missing an arm on its right side.

"Tsk, tsk, what shoddy craftsmanship eh Picollo? I mean these are supposed to be the new and improved androids designed to kill us all and she looks like she just crawled out of a junkyard." Dawn said with a sneer that was all Saiyan.

"Yeah. At least when I fought seventeen and Cell they actually gave me a decent fight for my effort. This one was barely a warm-up by comparison." , Picollo said with his own unique evil grin, "Still I suppose if they had gained up on the two of us all at once it might be worth our time but as it stands now this fight is over."

"You'd like to believe that wouldn't you flesh bag!" , the male android spat with anger as it tried to conceal its obviously damaged state, "Even in this weakened state though I am more than a match for you germ infested sacks of meat!!"

"Blah, blah, blah!! I swear it must be in some sort of evil guy handbook that they have to keep spouting crap even when they know they've been beaten!" Dawn said with irritation as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Complain all you want but you're still mine!!!" roared the android as he charged the two of them with his left arm stretched out as if to grab them.

Unfortunately before the android could get anywhere near then the wind suddenly jumped to gale force winds and an energy signal made itself known that forced them to ignore everything else. Even the android seemed to detect the awesome and horrible power on its sensors as it too stopped its attack to look to the source. What they all discovered however was enough to make both biological and technological see that there were bigger things for them to worry about at the moment than destroying each other. There standing ten feet tall look for all ther world like a cross between medusa and the evil monster Cell was someone that radiated a power that did not belong on this world. It was then that Dawn realized that they had taken too long in dealing with the androids for now it seemed that Glorificus had been granted her wish in full. She now possessed more power than the youngest Summers had ever felt before and since she lived on Hellmouth central that was saying something.

"Miss me?" Glory asked with a fang exposing smile on her face.

The Battlefield Outside Capsule Corps, 12:00 a.m

Well this totally blows and not in the way I'm used to! thought Faith as she stared down at the fully empowered former-but-not-really Hell Goddess.

She had been in the middle of helping Gohan set up an android for its final curtain call when a massive power signal had cut through her concentration with all the subtlety of a landslide. She had been fortunate that her android sparring partner had also found himself distracted by the sudden change in the state of things otherwise she would have found herself particularly sore right about then. However she was certain that someone else was going to attend to that little task in just a few minutes. She was almost shocked beyond the ability to maintain composure by the sheer level of power that was coming off the being staring at them from the ground. Only her newly rediscovered Saiyan Pride and the fact that B seemed to be keeping her cool as well kept her from showing any sign of fear.

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED. FAREWELL." Boomed the Eternal Dragon Shenron from his position criss-crossing the black clouds above.

With that pronouncement the dragon reverted to his energy state before returning to the dragonballs and then just as they had done many times before the ruby spheres rose high into the sky before being cast across the land. Not that many paid any attention to this fact since they all had more important matters to keep their minds active at the moment. Faith assumed that the smarter ones among them were trying to think up a way to overcome the massive powerhouse that now stood in front of them. Unfortunately she was not one of them, she preferred to fly by the seat of her pants and hope for the best. That of course was probably why she decided on the most direct course of action instead of the smartest as she charged Glory head on. The logic of the action, as she saw it, was that the only chance they had to win this was to take it to the goddess hard and fast before the bitch had a chance to get used to her new abilities. With a roar she began to let loose a veritable meteor storm of energy blasts down at the hell goddess, blanketing the entire area around Glorificus with destructive force. She could hear the others telling her to back off or to stop her attack but she blocked them out as she continued saturating the target area. By now the dust and bits of debris that filled the air obscured Glory from her eyes so instead Faith tried to monitor her enemy by her life force. This wasn't easy because apparently Glory had already learned the basic fundamentals of masking her energy signature. Faith could tell that Glorificus was still where she was when the attack began but she was unable to ascertain whether or not her bombardment was having any affect. Growling at this apparent obstacle she decided it was time to put the finishing touches on her strategy and locked her right arm straight out in front of her using her left to brace it. With all her concentration she began to gather energy just outside her right palm, pushing it there slowly but making sure that the energy that reached there was at its most potent. She began to grow a bit panicked when the cloud began to clear up a bit quicker than she had anticipated and she was worried that she might not get her attack off before she became visible to the hell goddess. As her energy gathering process reached the three quarter mark she decided that this would have to be enough and let the blast ripp.

It erupted from her palm like a crimson comet and flew down towards its target with the speed of a bullet. When it hit the energy was released with such a flash of light and with such force that all were forced to close their eyes and use their energy to keep from being propelled away from the area and into the next town. Faith especially had trouble with this because she had expended most of the energy she had left in that one blast. She knew it would make her vulnerable to a counter attack but she hoped that Glory would at least be stunned enough by the attack to allow the others to keep their momentum going. As the light from her blas died down and they could all see Faith looked to see if her blast had the desired effect or if she should kiss her sexy ass goodbye along with everyone else on the face of this planet. Her brain didn't even register the shock as she smoke cleared to show Glory standing, or more precisely floating, exactly where she had been before the dark Slayer had started her assault.

"Not bad Faith but let me show you how a first strike is supposed to be done." Glory commented with a cruel sneer before disappearing from sight.

Before anyone, least of all Faith, could register what was going on all of them seemed to simultaneously be hit with the mother of all blows that sent them in a dozen different directions with each one struggling not to lose consciousness. It was only once they had all regaine their senses that Glory reappeared high above them with a clenched fist in front of her clearly claiming credit for the blows they had all suffered. Faith was certain that she had a couple of bruised ribs from where she had been struck and she doubted that Glory had expended even a tenth of her new power on the entire group. Some of the weaker fighters like Krillin and Yamcha had to float back to the ground, unable to maintain the concentration necessary to stay aloft. Only those that could claim the status of Super Saiyan seemed to be relatively alright with only light bruises and pain to tell them that they had been hit. That made her wonder why Buffy, Dawn and she were still more or less in one piece since none of them were anywhere near the level of even Goten or Trunks.

Then it hit her.

She wants to save us for last. Faith thought as a primal fear began to well up within her stomach.


End file.
